Eternal Love
by IluvSeiya-kun
Summary: Post Stars. A SeiyaxUsagi fanfic, showing their eternal love and narrating their life story! Goes through many periods of their life together as well as apart and many years forward!The POV switches from Seiya to Usagi and you can see what they both feel!
1. Memories

A/N: This is planned out to be a long story, but only if you like it! Please review and let me know if anything's wrong! The song here is When You're Gone-Avril Lavigne ! Italics (generally) show what someone is thinking. Please enjoy!

**Chapter One: Memories**

She is sitting on her rocking chair at the back porch of her house, marveling at the beauty of the scenery in front of her. Suddenly, her eyes start watering as she remembers the time when she first got there, not so sure if she'd taken the right decision.

Almost six months had passed since Seiya and the other Starlights left with their princess I order to go back and restore their planet. Not even now, after so many years have passed, does Usagi know how she'd been able to hold on all that time without him. She can still remember the emptiness she felt after his departure…

Earth, many years ago:

_I am supposed to meet the girls and go for shopping before going to dinner with Mamoru, but I'm really not in the mood! Don't know what's wrong… maybe it's because I can't get used to the idea of having won once again over the enemy without leaving anyone behind… But no, it's not that. I should stop fooling myself. It's because I miss Him. Why did you have to go away? I miss you…_

Suddenly I here from the radio, as if it's making fun of my pain:

**When you're gone**  
**The pieces of my heart are missing you**  
**When you're gone**  
**The face I came to know is missing too**

**When you're gone**  
**The words I need to hear to always get me through**  
**The day and make it ok**  
**I miss you**

Juuban shopping centre:

"Earth calls Usagi! Are you listening?", Rei shouts in my ear.

"Nani? Stop yelling. You're piercing my eardrum!" , I complained

"Just waking you up! If you keep

Spacing out like that you'll trip, fall and start crying. Not that this wouldn't happen even if you paid attention, klutz!"

"Rei, you're such a meanie!", I shouted while sticking my tongue out.

"Both of you cut it off!", Mako-chan butted in. "Rei, shut it and Usagi, please tell us what's wrong. You've been like this ever since we beat Galaxia!". Mako-chan glared at me with her brown eyes, try to figure out what I was thinking.

" Yeah, Usagi-chan, we all noticed that. Is everything okay with Mamoru-san? Did you have a fight? ", Ami-chan added with a worried face.

"Iie, nothing like that… We're perfectly fine!", I whispered.

Please, don't let them know I'm lying!

"Usagi-chan, why don't you tell us what is it? It's obvious something is going on!". It was Minako who spoke this time.

I felt four pairs of eyes staring at me, waiting for me to answer.

" Er, I… well, I am not…"

" Hey, Usako! There you are! We need to go or we'll lose our reservation! Hi girls, what's up?", said my cheerful savior, Mamo-chan.

"Hai, Mamo-chan! Bye guys! Ja ne!", I hurried to his side, clinging on him while practically dragging him away from my friends.

_Phew, that was close…_I thought. Although by the look on their faces, I knew my interrogation was merely called off.

A/N Hope you like it so far. Took ages to type! Please review!


	2. Thinking About You

A/N: This is gonna be a bigger chapter than the first one so I hope it'll please you! Here we see my favorite character for the first time in the story! Review if you feel like it!

**Chapter Two: Thinking About You**

At the restaurant:

" Are you ready to order?", asked the waiter.

"I'll have the roasted chicken with rice and a sparkling water, please" , Mamo-chan said.

"I'll have two cheeseburgers with French fries, a slice of pizza, a big glass of coke and a chocolate ice-cream", I chirped at the waiter who gave me a surprised look.

_He must think it's some kind of a joke! I told Mamoru not to go to this new restaurant! They don't know me as the "Crown"'s people do. But I'm soooooo hungry._

The truth of my thoughts were proven by a loud growl coming from my stomach.

" T-that's all?",the poor waiter managed to choke out.

"Yes, thank you", my boyfriend replied.

Then turning to meet my gaze, he said, "Your appetite hasn't changed much since I left, has it?". The sweet smile he kept only for me spread across his face.

"I guess not… Mamo-chan, we haven't been able to talk alone much since what happened… so I was wondering… will you go to the university after all?"

"Usako… I'm not sure yet. I want to go very much, but we have plenty of time to talk before I have to leave". There goes that smile again.

_Now, that makes me nervous…_

"Well… I need to talk to you about…" I hesitated for a second, thinking of the best way to start saying what I wanted, "about something else too!"

"What is it, Usagi?"

_Usagi? Not Usa-ko? Oh, he's getting worried! Great, how am I supposed to say THAT to him?_

_Sorry, Mamo-chan but while you weren't here I fell in love with someone else? That I want to be with him at any cost, even if it means there won't be a Crystal Tokyo and a Chibiusa? Because my feelings for you have changed?_

_Grr, Just do it already, you cowardly girl!_

All this time, Mamoru was looking at me fidgeting and sweatdropping nervously.

"You know…I love you very much", I finally begun to say, "and I care for you, but I…"

"Here are your orders", the waiter cut me off.

"Go on, please", Mamo-chan urged me as soon as we were left alone.

_Dammit, not now! I can't tell him right now,_ I panicked.

" It's okay! Leave it, it's nothing serious!" I answered in a somewhat too cheerful way. "Let's eat!"

After gazing at me intensely, he shrugged and turned to his plate.

Tsukino Residence:

It's way past midnight and I'm awake laying on my bed, eyes shut, listening to his beautiful voice once again.

**Search for your love, sora no suishou**

**Search for your love, nakanaide kure**

**Search for your love, hontou wa**

**Dakishimetai no sa**

"Seiya, aitaio". _I'm all alone here and I want to see you so badly! I miss you so much! Your cocky smile, your beautiful deep blue eyes…_

I'm going to cry again tonight. I know it. Every time I think of him my heart is aching and I can't hold back my tears. But that's gonna change! Tomorrow!

_Tomorrow I'm gonna tell everyone the truth,_ I decided. _Although for now I'll just keep listening to his silky voice…_

**Search for your love...**

Tankei Kingdom, Kinmokusei:

"Fighter!" Maker called, shaking me hard to wake me up.

"Hmm…?" I looked at her sheepishly.

"Come with me!" she said, flinching at my messy appearance. "Healer and I need to talk to you about something!"

"Hai, I'm coming in a sec", I answered her and sank back into my pillow.

"No, you're coming right now!" Maker said, dragging me to the gym still half asleep, where Healer was waiting.

"So, what is it?"

I didn't like the atmosphere in there one bit.

_Something serious is goin' on here,_I thought suspiciously. _They both look as if they're going to snap at me…_

"For how long are you going to wander around like a depressed widow?" Maker demanded to know.

"Maker's right, you know. It's been half a year, for Kinmoku's sake, and you keep thinking about HER!" Healer screeched " We managed to find Kakyuu-hime and build our planet from scratch, but you're acting as if the end of the world has come!"

I gave a quick look to my fuming comrades before saying, "I know I'm a bit inactive and get angry easier than usual, but just try to understand how I feel…"

"No, Fighter. You're the one who doesn't get it! We won't tolerate this behaviour anymore! Pull yourself together!"Healer yelled at me.

"When I think you're like this because of that crybaby…" Maker begun to say.

_That's it! I'm mad now!_

"Don't you dare talk about her like that! Did both of you forget who saved all of us from Galaxia? Do you think we'd be here if it wasn't for her? You make me sick!"

After that I darted out of the room, heading to my bedroom

_Don't you even THINK of following me!_I ordered them in my head, knowing they could hear me.

Hours later, I was still locked in my room. After Maker and Healer, unsuccessfully, tried to get me out in order to eat something, they finally left me alone in my miserable thoughts. I didn't even bother trying to sleep as I knew that wouldn't happen. At least not 'till the morning sun would rise. I've long given up sleeping, that's for sure. So instead I stood behind my room's window glaring at the night sky, shining stars and one breathtaking crescent moon. I was trying yet again to catch a tiny glimpse of Earth. Where She is.

_How can I go on living without seeing your beautiful face and your never fading smile? I can't think of anything else but you, my kawai Odango._

And as I thought of her, the girl who is the very core of my life, I felt that she was as well thinking about me. Call it intuition, sixth sense, I don't know nor care, but for a moment I was sure that our hearts were beating as one.

"_I shall see you soon, Odango. I promise",_ I said with a smile on my face for the first time after so long.


	3. Unlucky Day?

**Chapter 3: Unlucky Day?**

Earth:

8:20 am. That's what the clock showed.

_OH! MY! GOD! How can this be? Is it possible that even now that I'm 17, I still manage to be late at my first day of school?_

" Usagiiii! You're late!" my mom shouted from the kitchen. "When will you grow up? Run, run!"

"Hai, I'm going! Love you", I screamed while shutting the door behind just a bit too hard.

_Geez, thanks for your support mom! Rei is gonna make fun of me when she finds out I'm late again! All of them will! Even Mamoru!_

_Ahhh, yada, yada, yada, yada!_

10 minutes later, School class:

"Tsukino Usagi!" , shrieked the teacher, as soon as I opened the door. "Out in the hallway!"

_Perfect! Isn't the first day at school supposed to be fun? At least last night was nice… I felt him so close to me… Or was it just wishful thinking?_

_Anyway, it seems today isn't my lucky day!_

But I wasn't the only one having a rough day…

Kinmokusei:

"Fighter, you're late for training again! How many times do I have to tell you to get up earlier?"

Maker's voice pierced my ears, making my splitting headache even worse.

"If you don't want a Star Serious Laser where the sun doesn't shine, stop yelling at me! My head feels as if it's going to explode!" I hissed in pain.

"It wouldn't hurt so much if you got more sleep… at night!" she gagged me, although in a milder tone.

"You know she's right Fighter. It's impossible to keep going on like this" Healer said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Kakyuu-hime wants to see you. She said you two need to talk", Healer informed me. "She's waiting for you at her quarters."

"Ok, I'm going there now, then" I said and left to meet our princess.

**Knock, knock…**

"Come in, Fighter"

As I came in, I was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of osmanthus. And then I saw her, sitting on the sofa as her red eyes took in my image which, by the look on her face, should be , the least, pitiful.

I already knew what she saw. Not that I checked myself on the mirror this morning… It's that I've been the same way since we left Earth. Since I last saw **her**.

I knew my eyes were red from crying all night, my hair was messy from the uneasy sleep and the paleness of my face could only compete with that of the dead.

"Take a seat", Kakyuu-hime requested.

Kind of ordered, actually. Maybe she thought I was about to collapse from exhaustion (something not totally untrue).

"Fighter, why are you looking like that…No… you don't need to tell me. I already know…" she said , pain running through her face.

"Gomenasai, Princess, I…"

"You don't have to apologize to me. The one you should apologize to is yourself", she reprimanded me. "Do you really love her that much?"

"Hai…my Princess" I replied, hesitantly first but then I decided to just take it off of my chest. "I love her more than my own life! I can't live without her!" I said passionately.

"Is that so? And you don't mind that she is with someone else?", Hime asked, really puzzled.

The truth is I had to think over that one. Just a few seconds later I knew the answer.

"No. I don't mind. I can stand anything if only I can see her face everyday", I stated.

"Hmm…In that case I see no reason why you shouldn't go back to her", Kakyuu-hime said.

_Wait, WHAT? Did I just hear what I think I did?_

"R-really!?". I looked at my princess, tears gathering in my eyes.

"Of course. Since our planet is restored and there is no visible danger ahead of us, I can't keep you here against your will". She smiled at me sweetly.

_Finally, someone who understands my torment!_

"But promise me one thing!" she said seriously.

"Anything for you my princess!"

She smiled at me again and continued, "Promise me that if you ever change your mind – for any reason – you will come back. Don't hesitate! No one will judge you"

_Yeah ,sure! No one but my comrades!_

My face must have showed what I was thinking, because Hime glared at me and said with a look of determination, "I mean every single thing I said, Fighter. This planet will always be your home and Maker, Healer and I will always be your family. Never forget that!"

"Arigato, Hime" I barely managed to choke out.

_I'm so happy, I feel like flying! Liberated! Yes, that's it! I feel liberated._

"There's only one thing left for you to do before you leave", said the Princess, with a grin spreading across her face.

"Nani?" I asked , beginning to get worried as she stood up.

"Tell Maker and Healer about it!" Kakyuu-hime said giggling as she left the room.

A/N: I wrote that chapter really fast! My imagination was up and running! Hope you like it! The more you review the faster I'll update!


	4. The Arrival Of A Shooting Star

**Chapter 4: The Arrival Of A Shooting Star**

The telephone ringing was what woke me up.

As I rushed to pick it up, I accidentally hit my toe at the edge of my bed.

"Ouch!" , I yelled.

_That really hurts!_

The telephone kept ringing, stretching my nerves to their limits.

_Who could be calling so early on a Saturday morning?_

I glanced at the clock. 11.33 am.

_Woops, not that early after all!_

The ringing stopped for about five seconds and then started again even more loudly, or at least that's how it seemed to me.

"Moshi, moshi?" I yawned while replying at the same time.

"Hi, Usagi, it's Minako. Please turn on your TV on MTV. There's something you might want to see."

And with that she hung up on me.

_Weird girl._

I went to the TV set and turned it on.

And there **he** was.

"S-Seiya?"

I kept looking at the screen dumbfounded, not sure I could trust my own eyes anymore.

_Is this a dream?_

I suddenly felt dizzy and then everything went black.

MTV Studio:

"Here on MTV, we present Kou Seiya, singer of the formerly well-known and successful band Three Lights", said the host of the show.

Then he turned to face me. "So, Seiya –kun, are the Three Lights back?"

"Unfortunately, no. We decided to follow different paths." I answered with a bitter smile.

"We haven't heard or seen you for six months now. Would you like to tell us why you left and where have you been? Your fans were devastated by your sudden disappearance!" he continued.

_Now's Showtime!_

I turned to face the camera wearing my usual cocky grin and said, "I can't tell you that, sorry! The reasons I left are personal too and I would like to keep them to myself. But, to whoever is listening, I'm back and I'm staying here. See you again soon". And with a small wink I turned to the host.

"Also everyone is curious if…"

The questions kept coming and I tried to answer them as sincerely as I could.

From the inside I was wishing.

_Odango, I hope you listened to what I just said! I'm staying with you from now on!_

Tsukino Residence:

I came round just when Seiya was saying what I yearned, but also feared, to hear.

"**To whoever is listening, I'm back and I'm staying here. See you soon!"**

_It can't be true! I must be hallucinating! He is Back! He is staying Here! That's what he just said, right?_

For the rest of the interview I sat in front of the TV, my eyes stuck at his face. I took in his shiny, blue eyes, his blinding smile, his everything. I even tried not to blink too much, lest I'd lose sight of him. Lest he'd vanish into thin air.

_Am I really hearing his voice? Is it really him? Am I loosing it?_

I desperately needed to make sure what I saw was true!

Hikawa Shrine:

We all stood in an awkward silence, without knowing how to start or even what to say. There was a weird feeling all over the place. And then I finally got it.

_They want me to start talking!_

I panicked at the thought of revealing my feelings for Seiya to them.

_Dummy, you called them here, remember?_

"Err, well…first of all thank you for coming. I know you're all pretty busy these days".

_Not a very good start ,Usagi! Do it again!_

I must have been contemplating much too long, because Rei snapped at me, "Get to the point! We want the truth! We all know you called us here for Seiya! And I think we all know more or less what you want to say!"

I was taken aback by her words.

_They really know how I feel? Then if you know how I feel why didn't you say so earlier?_

That was the first thing which came to my mouth to say, but I manage to suppress it and tell them what was really on my mind.

"I am so, so sorry guys. I didn't want nor planned for this to happen! I just fell in love with him without realizing. It dawned on me only because of the unbearable pain I felt when he left!"

_Is it just me, or is everyone glaring at me?_

"What are you looking at? You said you already knew and that you wanted the truth! Well, it can't get more true than that!" I spit out, tears threatening to start falling.

It was Ami who decided to speak this time. "Usagi-chan, we don't blame you for anything…"

At that point Rei snorted loudly.

After shooting an annoyed look at her, Ami continued, "But have you seriously thought about it? You know what our future is supposed to be like, but without you it could never happen!"

_Oh, I have thought over this matter again and again this whole time! You can't imagine how many sleepless nights I've spent trying to kill my feelings for him!_

"I know Ami-chan. Do you think I could ever forget that? But I can't make that future happen anymore! Setsuna-san once told me that someone's future can never be certain. Things might happen to change everything. That's what happened to me…" I tried to explain.

The answer came from Rei, as I expected. "Don't you think you're being a little too selfish? What about Mamoru? He doesn't know anything yet, does he? And what about Chibiusa?"

She was shaking from anger.

Just one look to the others let me know they were feeling the same way. Minako-chan, Mako-chan, Ami-chan. They all stared at me, waiting for my answer.

_They are all so mad at me…_

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

"I love Mamo-chan, but not the same way as I used to. All the time he was gone, I missed him very much. Only when he came back did I realize I wasn't in love with him anymore. I still love him as a good friend, a brother even, and am grateful for all the times he saved me and took care of me. I just don't feel the same anymore. As for Chibiusa…" My trembling voice prevented me from going on.

"Please, at least try to understand! I can't live this life anymore, even if I try I won't be anything more than an empty shell carrying out a heavy, unwanted duty. If I keep pretending and ignore my true feelings, I'm afraid I-I will eventually lose myself… " I looked at each and every one of them, begging them silently.

Suddenly Rei rushed in front of me.

I closed my eyes, ready to take the blow.

Then I felt something truly unexpected.

_S-She's hugging me!_

I slowly opened my eyes, dumbstruck.

"Whatever you decide, Usagi-chan, I'll always be with you!" Rei whispered in my ear.

It was no more than a second when I felt more hands tightening around me.

"Minna…!. There were new tears at my eyes now.

This time they were tears of joy and relief.

"We'll never leave you, Usagi", Ami said.

"Stop crying, baka. You'll ruin my dress!" said softly Minako.

"Minako, you're the baka! You're crying too!" Makoto laughed.

"Ehm…Guys? You're choking me!" I said, momentarily able to take a breath.

They let me go instantly and I fell on my knee, confused.

"Itai! Meanies!"

_My knee is killing me now!_

Those terrible creatures I dare to call my friends burst into loud laughter.

"I guess Usagi will always be Usagi", said a giggling Rei.

Ami-chan helped me up and said looking serious again, "Usagi-chan, you know you have to tell Mamoru-san too, right? You have to be honest with him!"

I looked back at her with my face just as serious as.

"I know Ami-chan, I know. I'm going to see him in the afternoon and tell him everything"

"Good! So how about all of us studying together, since we're all here?". Ami-chan began opening a book.

"I-I need to go now! I have volleyball training!", Minako-chan hurried to leave.

"I'm late for the cooking club!". Mako-chan followed at Minako's heels.

"And I have chores to do", said Rei-chan before going back inside.

"Oh… so I guess it's just you and I left, Usagi chan! Shall we go to your house?"

Ami had already started walking before I could say a word.

"Hai…" I said half-heartedly.

_Why is it always only me who's left to study?_


	5. Saying Goodbye and Hello

**Chapter 5: Saying Goodbye and Hello**

_Phew…I finally escaped from those sharks! Paparazzi would kill for my exclusive photograph or even a comment!_

That's what I was thinking as I reached my apartment. It was the same Taiki, Yaten and I lived in when we were here, on Earth, searching for our Princess.

Today has been exhausting. After leaving from Kinmoku, I contacted my manager (well, former manager of the Three Lights) , asking him to arrange my appearance on MTV this morning. I didn't want to be exposed publicly so soon, but I thought it was better than going outside Odango's house out of the blue.

_Did she see me, though? Did she find out I came back for her? I sure hope so. Although we're miles away now, I can still feel Maker's and Healers disapproval over my decision to leave._

_Flashback:_

"WHAT?". Maker stared at me in disbelief.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" , Healer asked. I could tell she wanted badly for me to say she was right.

"No, I mean every single word. I am going back to Earth. For good this time." , I said calmly.

"But, Fighter, doshite? You're going to leave the Princess, us alone? What are you thinking?". Maker put into action her 'reasoning' tactics.

"Hime gave me permission to go herself. I am going to be ready to come and help you anytime. The only thing you need to do is call me and I'll be here in no time."

"But she **doesn't** love you! Why go back when you know she doesn't care? We're a team, you're our leader, you can't just leave us!". Healer grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently.

I took hers and Maker's hand in mine and said, "From now on Maker will be in charge and I'll just help you when you need me."

"So that's your final decision?". Maker pulled her hand from mine, eyeing me coldly.

"Hai, it is."

Without saying anything else, Maker turned her back at me and left the room.

_I knew she would leave before I could say goodbye! But I won't run after her._

I was sure we would both regret it later that these were our last words, but I was too busy trying to calm a mourning Healer down.

"Onegai, don't go away!", said Healer between her sobs.

" Come on now,Healer. You can come and see me anytime you want! I'll visit you too, if you want. We'll always be best friends, ok?", I smiled at her.

"You won't forget us, right?",she asked, giving me the best puppy look I've ever seen.

I hugged her tightly, saying reassuringly, "Of course not, you baka! You're my family, how could I ever forget you? But now I have to go. Give a big hug to Maker for me, will you?"

I stepped back, taking a good last look at her. Then I winked and left.

_Don't worry Maker, Healer, Princess. You'll always be in my heart._

_End of Flashback_

_I miss them already…_

Then I got in my apartment. Immediately I knew someone was there. There was a powerful presence…Well, two to be specific.

_Their auras are all too familiar…_

" Sailor Uranus, sailor Neptune! I see you're the first to greet me", I said, gripping the changestar in my pocket.

"So it is you", Uranus said.

She gave me a hostile glare while her teammate asked, "Why are you here? Is there something we need to know?"

"Not really, Michiru-san", I sat down, trying to look relaxed.

"I think she asked you something", Uranus growled and grabbed my jacket.

I gave her a warning glare and said through my clenched teeth, "I came back to live here. Is there a problem with that? What I do with my life is none of your business!"

As she didn't seem to be ,willingly ,letting me off soon, I pushed Uranus' hands to the side, slightly harder than I originally intended.

"Don't you…!", she started shouting.

"Uranus, stop it.". Neptune patted her shoulder and turned to me. "We don't know what you're up to, but be aware that we'll keep an eye on you, just to make sure you won't cause any trouble."

I smiled bitterly, raising my hands as a sign of truce.

"I just want to stay here, that's all. I am not here to fight or anything like that. So, could you please leave now?". My last words sounded exactly as I wanted, firm and demanding.

I went to the door and kept it open until they left.

_Hmm… I guess that's the 'welcome back' I get for today._

I desperately needed to relax, so I decided to take a bath. Half an hour later, as I had just got dressed, the bell rang.

_Who is it this time? _

As soon as I opened the door and saw who was there, all I could do was stand frozen, in shock.

"O-Odango!"

A/N: This chapter is smaller than the last one, but I wanted it to end here. Please, if you have anything to say (e.g. corrections, likes, dislikes, suggestions), do so! Everything is welcome!


	6. Meeting Hearts

**Chapter 6: Meeting Hearts**

He stood there without moving, just looking at me.

"O-Odango?" ,he finally said, voice low.

_Why does he look so shocked? He knew I'd come to say hi. Maybe he didn't even remember me when he came back…_

While I thinking that, I let his features sink in my head.

"Please come in!", Seiya's voice put an end to my thoughts.

"I was so surprised to see you're back. Do you have any trouble at Kinmoku?', I asked politely, trying to hide how worried I was.

"Ehm…no, everything's fine there. It is already restored and our kingdom is very peaceful. Sit down, please. Do you want to drink something? Tea, juice, coke… water?"

"Some tea would be okay, thanks."

He went back to the kitchen and I sat at he couch, trying not to jump back up and start dancing and laughing with joy.

_We're at the same house right now…I can smell him…Oh dear Lord, I saw him!_

That was what I needed all these months. A happy smile bloomed on my face.

"Oi, Odango, why are you smiling like that? Did you see something funny? 'Cause I didn't have time to clean this place up a lot. I wanted to do it a bit earlier but your friends, Uranus and Neptune, dropped by to say hello", Seiya said , coming from the kitchen

"Nani? Haruka-chan and Michiru-chan were here?". I wasn't able to grasp the meaning of his words.

"Yeah, they came to see if I was some kind of danger to you. I must admit they were quite polite… they didn't attack me and they left with the mere threat that they'll keep an eye on me!". He chuckled sourly, obviously not thrilled with that prospect.

_How could they! To say something like that to Seiya! I thought they were at least allies, if not friends!_

"I'm so sorry they did that. They take their job really seriously. Maybe too seriously…", I pouted, "Anyway I'll talk to them and tell them to leave you alone."

"It's okay, Odango. I don't fear them!", he winked at me.

My words came out of my mouth without thinking, "I've missed you ,Seiya…"

_So much ,_I added in my head

His eyes popped out in surprise for a moment, but then he said "I've missed you too, Odango" . He flashed me his all-too-familiar cocky smile.

_He is so beautiful…I forgot how attractive he was… And I love him so much._

After a few minutes, I realized we were both staring at each other without saying anything. It almost felt like he was, too, taking in my image. He had a relaxed look accompanied with a soft smile.

I think he understood how weird the situation was as soon as I blushed.

But then he blushed too, a bit odd in my opinion.

"How's everyone doing?", Seiya sounded interested.

"Great! They've all been pretty busy, so we didn't have much time to see each other. Ami-chan is taking a scholarship next year to study abroad and Minako-chan is now recording her first album. Mako-chan won a cooking contest and was proposed to have her own TV show, though she's not sure what to do yet. Rei-chan is the one who wrote Minako-chan's songs and she made a contract as her song writer for two years. And now that we're back at school we meet everyday!", I said enthusiastically.

"And how about you? Are you doing fine? How's Mamoru-san?", he asked.

_Didn't his face darken a bit right now, or is it just my idea?_

"Oh, me… I'm …good. You know eating, sleeping, failing school exams, as always. Mamo-chan is fine too. He decide to go to the university at the US, after all…"

I chocked there a little bit.

Mamoru and I had a talk before I came here today…

_Flashback:_

"I was about to call you ,because I too need to talk to you about something ,Usako, but you did first. What is it that you want to talk about?"

He held my hand over the table at Crown's and gave me a look of mixed concern and uneasiness.

I gulped.

"You can go first, Mamo-chan", I urged him.

He looked straight into my eyes, while taking both of my hands in his.

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we?"

I nodded, starting to get suspicious.

_What if he decided it's time to propose to me?_

I sweatdropped.

_Naw, he wouldn't. We're too young for that yet. Or aren't we…?_

I was beginning to panic now.

"Usagi, are you listening?", he asked.

"Hai…what was that again?", I blushed in embarrassment.

He sighed and said "Well, I decided to go to the university, after all. It's a great opportunity! They even proposed a job as a lecturer there, after I finish my studies. You understand how important this is to us. When I get this job, with the money I'll make, we can…"

"No, Mamoru."

I wasn't sure where I found the strength to cut in.

"Usako, what...", he tried to say.

I took my hands from his and began talking.

"I know I should have told you earlier about this, but my feelings for you have…changed."

I risked a quick glance at him. He seemed utterly confused.

"I think you can feel it too. Both of us have changed, though it's only my fault this has happened."

I took a deep breath, glad he hadn't interrupted me so far, and looked at his eyes.

"While you were…gone, I met Seiya. When all the trouble with Galaxia ended and you came back, I thought I was happy and complete. Even though, soon I realized I wasn't."

_Finish it , Usagi. Now, that you found the courage to start._

"I love you very much, Mamo-chan, but as a sister loves her brother. You've done so much for me and I couldn't be more grateful. I think, though, that we should end our relationship here."

My last words came out fast and they sounded kinda harsh even to me.

"U-uso…You're joking ,right? You can't do that to us, after EVERYTHING we've been through!"

His voice got louder and louder by the second.

" Please, Mamo-chan ,calm down" ,I begged him.

He took a breath and didn't say anything.

For a few minutes neither of us spoke.

I thought he would never talk to me again, when he finally sighed and said "Gomen ne, Usagi. I don't know what happened to me and I behaved like that. It's not that you said something which isn't true. We both have changed. And so has our love."

I look at him surprised.

He shrugged and gave me a confessing look, "I already knew it. I just didn't want to admit it, not even to myself."

He smiled at me reluctantly.

I gave him an excited toothy grin and said "We will still be friends, right? And we'll keep in touch while you're away, okay?"

"Yes, Usako…we will"

_End of Flashback_

"You know, Seiya, Mamoru and I broke up today. But, it's okay, we both knew we couldn't be together any more", I said to him.

"Really?", he asked in wonder.

"Hai…"

I desperately tried to hide my victorious smile from her, but not as well as I wanted.

_They broke up! Yay!...But…why?_

I cleared my throat, then said "Do you want to talk about it? I'm…well, I'm a bit shocked."

Actually, I couldn't be happier.

"I mean why? Is there someone else?"

I was leaning towards her, curious to know what she would say.

"Hmm…you could say that. That's one reason why we had to break up. The other is that our love had faded away since he left. I realised it a long time ago, but only today I found the courage to tell him."

I replayed in my head what she answered earlier, suddenly not feeling as excited as I was before: _"Is there someone else?" "You could say that"_

_This __can't be happening! She broke up with the one rival I knew I could never defeat, just to have a new one?_

"And who is this new guy? Do I know him?", I asked trying to seem relaxed while I tried to remember every male Odango knew and might be the one she was talking about.

"Oh, he's not new. And you know him very well", she said, blushing darkly.

_Something doesn't seem right here…_

I looked at her, wondering, and saw that she stared at me as well, with a small grin on her face.

That was when the truth hit me (and hit me hard, like a tone of bricks on my head).

_She means ME!_

"Odango, please tell me that what I think you mean is what you really mean!". I grabbed her shoulders, trying to decipher her expression.

She grinned slightly wider, extending my torture.

Then, all of a sudden, she hugged me tightly and said "The one I truly love is you, Seiya".

I was too stunned to answer.

I raised her chin until I could meet her gaze. Night sky blue into

sapphire blue. Two stormy seas, at last, meeting.

And I did the one thing I wanted the most.

I leant down and kissed her.

A/N: The longest chapter(untill now).Hope you'll enjoy it!


	7. Happiness with clouds

**Chapter 7: Happiness…with clouds**

I was surrounded.

And there was no escape.

_Will they calm down? Everybody is staring at us!_

"Seiya-kun? Will you order?", Unazuki asked.

"Just coffee, arigato", I said to the poor thing who was desperately trying to make five overly excited girls pay attention to her.

"So, Seiya, I heard you are planning to stay here for long!", Makoto said.

"Oh, yes! He is staying here for a long, long time!", my sweet Odango answered for me.

I just slightly nodded, showing I agreed with her. Then I got back to what I was doing since yesterday.

Staring at **my** Odango.

Yes, we were finally together! We stayed all night long at my apartment talking about everything, remembering the past, making future plans…Um…kissing!

She had to leave in the morning and so I gave her a ride to her house. We kissed goodbye and she told me that she wanted to us and the girls go out together! Of course I said it was ok. How could I ever deny her anything?

And here we are now, at Crown's, Usagi and I holding hands and exchanging loving glances.

Well, as a matter of fact, doing that while trying to handle her friends' innumerable questions. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe these girls are, in reality, Sailor Senshi.

"Are Taiki-kun and Yaten-kun coming back too?", asked a blushing Ami.

_Oh…What do I say now…_

"No, Ami-chan, they're gonna stay with Princess Kakyuu to guard her and their planet."

Again Odango saved me from answering. I shot her a thankful look and smiled.

_She really is with me! I still can't believe it!_

"He can talk for himself, Usagi! Stop butting in!", Rei scolded my girlfriend.

"It's okay, I don't mind", I dared to say.

"So how's being at Kinmoku? You have already restored it, right? I bet it's so beautiful there!", Minako said with a dreamy look on her face.

_Ok, that's a topic I don't mind talking about._

"You can't imagine! Right now is the best season, all the flowers are in bloom and the air is filled with their aroma. On Kinmoku it's summer time all year round, but now it's really gorgeous."

At that point I whispered to Usagi's ear "But you're much better".

She giggled and turned a bit red.

I knew she would blush and that's why I said that (not that I don't like her more than anything else, anyway). I loved the sound of her laughter and the way her face glowed with happiness.

_She is truly happy…And she's happy with me!_

As if she just read my mind, Usagi silently mouthed "Aishiteru".

I couldn't hold myself any longer, so I kissed her softly.

Everyone suddenly stopped talking. I slowly took my eyes off her and looked at her friends.

_No, our friends._

They all immediately looked everywhere else besides me and Odango.

"S-so, nice to see you again Seiya… We're gonna leave now… See you!", Rei stuttered.

"See you at school", Ami said.

"Bye…", I murmured.

"Ja ne!", said Minako and Makoto as one.

"Bye guys!", cheered Usagi.

When they left, I asked worriedly "Oi, Odango, did I do something wrong?"

"No…They just haven't got used to the idea of us being together now", my little princess reassured me.

I patted her cheek with the hand that wasn't holding hers and got up.

"What…?", she started saying.

"You'll see!"

I wanted to surprise her.

I paid our coffees and we went outside. During the time we were walking, none of us said anything. It was a comfortable silence, though.

I caught myself many times staring at her face with the same blissful look she gave me. Then we would realize what we were doing, blush and turn our attention back to the road.

But after a while I'd gradually turn my gaze back at her. First from the corner of my eye, up until I was completely focused on her. Thank God I wasn't driving, or we'd be already dead!

"Watch your step or you'll trip", she advised me.

I chuckled and said "Odango, you're the one who falls all the time, so you should be more careful".

I smiled cockily and she grinned.

When we reached our destination, I turned to her and said "Here we are, princess!".

She looked at me suspiciously.

"Where exactly did you bring me?"

Trying not to laugh I said "To the place our first date began, of course!"

She thought about it for a bit and must have decided that going to the park in the evening was romantic enough for her, as she went and sat on the nearest bench.

I sat right next to her, my arm over her shoulders and, naturally, rested my eyes on her face.

"Beautiful…"

"Yes, you are"

"Not me, silly! The stars!", she giggled.

"Oh, well, they're nice", I said uninterested. "You are far more beautiful…"

Our lips met and once again I felt like flying.

_I was never happier than right now._

From somewhere behind us, I heard someone gasping.

I broke off our kiss, Usagi looking confused.

"Is anything wrong, Sei…"

"Shh…", I interrupted her. "Someone's here. And I think I might know who."

I drew Odango closer to me as we stood up.

Them again!

"Uranus, Neptune, could you stop peeping and come out from behind the bushes?". I was getting really mad.

_Will they ever leave me alone__?_

As I expected, they came and stood facing us.

"Haruka-chan, Michiru-chan… What do you think you're doing?", Odango demanded to know.

I smirked at them, especially at Haruka.

_That's my girl!_

"Koneko-chan, what are you doing with that person?", you-know-who spit out.

I twitched an eyebrow, clenching my fists.

_How dare she?_

Odango probably felt the same way, because she said with voice trembling with anger "Seiya is my boyfriend! So if you don't want us to fight, don't talk to him so rudely".

Both of them stared at us wide eyed.

_for Haruka-Seiya!_

"But Usagi-chan, what about Mamoru-san? Weren't you two in love?", said Michiru.

I had to admit she talked much more gently than her friend.

"Mamoru and I discussed about it and decided we should no longer be together."

"So, you dumped the love of your life for someone who isn't even a boy the whole time? Princess, get serious!", evil Uranus snorted.

_Ouch…That hurt._

I stiffened as soon as I heard her saying that, but refused to lose my temper.

And you can imagine surprised I was to see Odango didn't.

Even with so many years of training as a Senshi on my back, I didn't manage to stop her fist going for Haruka's nose.

A second later I realized, from the sound of pain she made, that neither she expected it.

"Are you out of your mind?", I screeched. "You could have even broken your wrist! Are you ok?". I frantically took Odango's hand examining it thoroughly.

And that was when I heard the weirdest thing in the world. Laughter!

Usagi and Michiru were laughing!

"What's so funny?", Uranus and I yelled at the same time.

They stared at us for a second and then began guffawing.

I glared at them, my arms folded on my chest and my eyebrow raised.

"Cut that out, ok?", I said angrily.

Odango came to my side, still giggling, and patted my shoulder. "I'm fine, don't worry"

Then she turned to Haruka saying "Are you ok? I'm sorry I had to do that, but I told you to talk better to Seiya!"

She didn't answer, so Michiru did it for her.

"She's fine, just a bit embarrassed for not dodging your punch!", she giggled quietly. "I think we should pay you a visit tomorrow, to talk properly, don't you think?", she proposed.

"Come at my place at six 'o clock", I said.

_We can't have this conversation at Odango's house._

They exchanged glances and Hruka said sternly "We will be there."

Odango smiled and said "Bye Haruka-chan, Michiru-chan!"

"Goodnight, koneko-chan", Uranus murmured.

"You two, have a nice night…". I was surprised Michiru talked to me too, but decided not to say anything.

Then I felt Odango elbowing me discreetly.

"Ehm…Ja"

After they left, Odango complaint "Michiru-chan was being very polite with you! You wouldn't even say goodbye to them!".

"Her companion was very rude though!", I huffed.

She run her fingers across my cheek. I got closer, enjoying her touch.

"She didn't mean what she said"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Ok, maybe she meant it. But she's gonna get used to you. Eventually", she giggled.

"I don't really care what she says. It's just…you know she's right about the gender thing". I was fidgeting nervously, unable to meet her eyes.

She took my head between her hands and forced me to look at her.

"I don't care which form you'll choose to have. That's on you to decide. I love you for you, not for your gender"

She looked very serious while saying that.

"And you know I love both Seiya and Fighter, as I know they love me too."

I sighed with relief.

"Honto?", I asked.

"Hai"

She was the one, this time, who reached to kiss me.

A/N: Stayed up all night typing, so I hope you like it! Review,onegai!


	8. Happy Anniversary!

**Chapter 8: Happy Anniversary**

_Today is a very special day for me and Seiya! We celebrate the first three months of our relationship. The three happiest months of my life!_

Many things have happened during this time. First of all, Seiya and I have been inseparable, spending most of our time together. He came back to school and took his previous seat back, right behind me. At the beginning, we tried not to be very affectionate when the others were around, because every time we did they left within seconds. But as time passed, they got used to us clinging on each other, hugging and kissing. Not that we did these things on purpose…well maybe sometimes, just to get rid of a tiring Minako or an Ami ready to drag us along with her to study. But most of the times the signs of our love came out without thinking.

Like right now.

I've been staring at him the whole time while he was frowning upon reading our schedule for today, which I personally made.

"Oi, Odango? Don't you think we should be spending our time together for the day rather than with all of our friends?", he complained.

"No, I think that we should hung out with them, in order to thank them for supporting us!". I smiled at him, knowing that we would eventually go with my plan.

"Maybe you're right…But I don't think Haruka was that supportive!", Seiya scoffed.

_Ugh…He's got a point there._

After we had a long and very tense discussion with Haruka-chan and Michiru-chan, they both finally agreed not to get involved in my affair with Seiya.

Actually, Seiya and I managed to persuade Michiru quite easily, but Haruka didn't even want to hear about it! Michiru said she would handle it, as we couldn't do anything else nor wanted to (that goes mostly for Seiya…). I don't think she went better either, because we've gone out with Michiru many times but Haruka was constantly absent.

In fact, Seiya and Michiru have grown to be pretty good friends. They prefer each others company than the rest of us - except that Seiya prefers to be with me more than anyone else!

As for the rest of my friends, all of them quickly got used to the idea of me being Seiya's girlfriend. They've welcomed him in the best way and they already consider him a part of their lives too.

That's why I've planned a small party at my place tonight, where all of our friends are invited.

_Well…not quite all of them._

I wanted to call Taiki-kun and Yaten-kun too, but Seiya refused to do it…

_Flashback:_

"why don't you let me call them? That's very rude, you know! They are your best friends!", I disagreed with him once more.

"Could we drop that topic, onegai? I don't want to talk about it…", Seiya tried to avoid it, but I didn't give up.

"But we both know you miss them so much! Please, tell them to come! I'm sure they'll be so happy to hear from you!"

"They know I always think about them. And I know they wouldn't come, even if I asked them to. You know they don't approve of us being together, so why do you want to invite them? In the end, they're **my** friends…"

He stopped talking as soon as he saw my face.

"U-Usagi, don't cry…You know I didn't mean it in a bad way…", he said taking me in his arms.

"I just want you to be happy here", I whispered and blinked, trying to make my tears go away.

"I know, my love. But you have to understand that I'm the happiest person in the whole universe with you. I don't need anything else."

He kissed me and I lost track of the world.

_End of Flashback_

I was sitting on the couch at his apartment, thinking about all these, resting peacefully in his firm embrace.

"What are you thinking?", I asked.

"You"

I giggled. He smiled at me and hugged me even tighter.

_I still can't believe he is here, that he is mine and I am his…_

Every day was as if it was our first day as a couple. We talked endlessly when we were together and, when I had to leave, we kept talking on the phone. We went on dates in every possible place, using his car wherever it was too far for us to walk.

I also convinced him to take up singing again. I knew how much he loved it. He loved to hear the crowd cheering for him, the flashlights of the paparazzi blinding him, to give interviews or take part in TV shows.

At first he refused to get back on stage, saying I was enough to make him happy. But I kept begging him to start again.

So finally, three weeks later, he phoned his manager and arranged a concert.

That concert was a huge success. I was there of course, and when he spotted me at the VIP's seats (he insisted the girls and I to get a VIP pass and that we wouldn't pay a thing for all his concerts), he kept looking right at me. And, as Rei told me later giggling, I had changed all shades of red and smiled stupidly at him.

Seiya had two more concerts and is going to release his new album in two weeks. He swore all the songs in there were inspired by me!

He was once again a famous star.

At his last concert, when he was about to sing the final song, he said "I dedicate this to the most important person in my life. For you Odango!". He grinned and winked, and I knew these were for me too.

_We are happy, as simple as that._

The only topic we didn't talk about was his Princess and the other two Starlights.

We've even talked about which gender he should have on Earth!

I insisted I didn't care whether he was male or female and he went on saying he didn't mind being either. Finally, he decided (after I threatened to call Haruka and ask her what she thought) that it was better if he stayed as a boy. _"That way we won't get stared at or anything like that…"_, he had said grinning, but I knew he did for me, fearing that I wouldn't feel comfortable if he stayed as a girl.

I really didn't give a damn if he was a she or a he! And I showed it to him in every chance I got.

For example, today he is male

But yesterday, when we were at his place again, I made him switch to female for all day long.

_Flashback:_

"Are you sure you want me to change?", Seiya asked again worriedly.

"Yes, I'm sure! I want my girlfriend NOW!"

This wasn't the first time I made him do that and his protests were slowly decreasing in number every time.

I smiled encouragingly at him and he sighed, half-smiling too.

"Your wish is my command, princess"

And then, right in front of me, Seiya turned into a girl.

Her t-shirt was now loose everywhere except at the height of her breasts and her pants barely stayed at their place.

I got up and run to her arms in the blink of an eye.

"You smell nice", I said sighing happily.

Then I noticed her wet eyes.

"Seiya, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry at me?". I was staring at he, feeling really worried.

"Iie, my angel. I'm not mad at you. On the contrary, I'm thankful. You can't imagine how happy and relieved I am to know you love me the same, boy or girl."

I smiled and hugged her tighter.

"Of course I do. You're my Seiya. That never changes!"

After that, I pulled her down while reaching on my tiptoes (even as a girl, she was still much taller than me) and kissed her.

_End of Flashback_

"What are you thinking, princess?", he tickled my back

"You know, you're the only one calling me princess now. Everyone stopped it as soon as Setsuna-san said that our future has officially changed. Not that I care. It was always really weird when they called me like that."

"But you still are princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. Anyway, for me you'll always be a princess", Seiya said.

"Hmm…As your princess then, I command you to get up and got to my house for the party! Mom said everything would be ready by now."

"Oi, I didn't mean it that way when I said you're my princess, Odango! Do we really have to go?", he looked at me pleadingly.

"Don't look at me with that puppy look of yours. It won't work today!", I said giggling.

We hold hands as we walked to my house, laughing and teasing each other the whole time.

When we got inside I yelled "Mom, we're home!"

"Oh, there you are! Everyone is waiting for you at the living room", my mother said.

"Domo arigato for helping us, miss Tsukino. Today you look even more beautiful than usual!"

_What a flutterer!_

My mother blushed darkly at his words and giggled.

I pulled him to where the others were waiting. The minute I opened the door, I noticed that it was too quiet.

_Why is everyone silent? Did they have a fight or…_

I felt Seiya stopping and turned to ask him what was wrong.

He stood aghast, looking intensely in front of us.

I turned to see what he was looking at.

_Yaten? What is he doing here?_

He answered my thoughts saying imperatively,

"Fighter, we need you!"

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewing! You can't imagine how happy you make me! The more you review, the faster I'll update!


	9. Danger and Sorrow

**Chapter 9: Danger and Sorrow**

"Y-Yaten, what's wrong?"

My voice was trembling from fear of what he would say.

"Not here!", he hissed.

"Seiya, got to my room. Nobody will bother you there", Odango said.

I nodded and we left them.

"Tell me!", I demanded as soon as I closed the door behind us.

"We don't have much time to talk, so I'll explain this to you without much detail, ok?"

I could tell he was very upset because he went back and forth in the small room.

"A new enemy appeared two weeks ago. He claims to be the rightful owner of the throne and ordered us to surrender Hime and kingdom, or he would attack. He is a powerful sorcerer, called Hades, and has gathered an army to fight against us. Of course we denied giving up and, until now, we have been able to fight back successfully. But, in his last attack, his army had increased much in number. Maker and I did our best, along with our soldiers, but Maker got injured and I can't handle it by myself. Princess insists on helping us, even though she knows we would never expose her in such danger. That's why we need you!"

_I can't believe that! Our kingdom is under attack, Maker is hurt and I knew nothing about it!_

I was staring at Healer (she had already transformed, eager to go back), wide eyed, unable to believe what she just told me.

"WHY ON KINMOKU'S SAKE DIDN'T YOU CALL ME EARLIER? ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR, THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR HOME?".

I was furious with them. I had specifically told them to call me if anything, even the slightest possibility of threat appeared!

Healer avoided my fierce glare and said, her voice barely above a whisper "Maker ordered not to call you. She said that she was in charge and that we didn't need to call you…"

"WHAT? Maker, that stupid, arrogant…!". For a moment I focused only on inhaling and exhaling, in order not to have a stroke.

"We're going back to Kinmoku", I said.

She smiled at me as I yelled "Fighter Star Power, Make Up!".

In a second I was in my fuku, preparing to go. Then I heard a low knock from outside the door.

I opened it and Odango came in, saying "Everyone left. Now will you tell me what's…".

She noticed Healer and I had transformed.

"Sei…no, Fighter, what's wrong?"

She looked at me with an expression of mixed fear and confusion.

I shot a look at Healer.

She understood and said, blushing, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute…"

When she was out, I turned to my scared love.

"Usagi…Kakyuu-hime and the kingdom are in danger. Someone wants to steal her throne and is going to make it, if I don't go help Healer and Maker stop him. Maker is already injured so we need to go back immediately. I'll be back when all this ends, ok?"

She stared at me, with a look of determination and began saying "Moon Etern…"

"No!", I stopped her before she could start transforming. "It's too dangerous there. And I won't be able to concentrate on my mission, because I'll be worried about you. You're staying here!"

She started crying and I thought I might have been a little too harsh.

"Don't leave me here! I'm gonna die worrying about you! Please don't leave me behind again!", my Odango sobbed loudly.

She hugged me, refusing to let me go.

My eyes began watering too.

"Odango…Aishiteru", I said in her ear.

I kissed her passionately for a moment and broke off and ran towards Healer.

"No! Fighter!", she screamed falling to her knees.

_Gomenasai, love. I'll try to stay alive and come back to you._

With these thoughts, I left her, along with my heart.

Two days later, Tsukino Residence:

"She has been like that for the whole time! She won't eat anything and goes on crying all day until falls asleep, for two or three hours the most. Do you know what happened? Did she and Seiya have a fight? Or they broke up? She won't talk to me…"

"We don't know either, Ikuko-san. We'll do what we can, ok?"

I could hear my mom talking with someone outside my door. I could make out what they were saying too, but I didn't care. The only thing I really caught was his name…

_Seiya…_

New tears started falling.

When he left, I dragged myself to my bed and stayed there. I couldn't do anything. I felt paralyzed. If I could, I'd probably have quitted breathing too.

All that because the pain in my chest, the same one when he left for the first time, has come back. Only this time stronger. Much stronger.

I made it even worse for myself. I kept imagining that he got hurt or captured by his enemies. Mostly, though, I imagined he died. Far away, leaving me forever wondering if he might still be alive. And then I would cry. I'd cry for my uselessness and weakness.

_I have to go there! I have to find him! Or else I'll go crazy!_

But how could I ever find him? And even if I did, how could I go there?

I heard the door creak and someone calling my name. I didn't turn to see though.

Then I felt a hand patting my hair and someone leaning down to look at my face.

"She's awake."

_It's Rei, _I realized.

"Usagi-chan? Can you hear us? We're all here to see you."

_Ami-chan…_

"Go away", I whispered and shut my eyes closed.

"Please, Usagi, we came to help you", Minako-chan said.

"Yes, we're here for you. Talk to us", Mako-chan pleaded.

_Help me? How? They can't do anything about it…_

"Go away!", I said louder. I almost didn't recognize my own voice. It was husky and faint.

"Please tell us what happened when we left…We all know Seiya left Earth. Michiru and Haruka sensed him leaving along with Yaten", Ami said.

"H-he had to go rescue his Princess. They're in danger…", I whispered, more to myself it's the truth. "He refused to take me with him…He might be dead already…", my voice cracked and I couldn't hold back my sobs any more.

"Usagi-chan…"

"GO AWAY!", I screamed.

I don't know

I managed to say it so loud, but it worked. They finally left.

_They can't understand. They just don't know how painful it is for me to be away from him, to not know if he's dead or alive…_

I replayed in my head all this time we've been together. Every look, every smile, every word, every kiss, everything. They were my treasure.

I have no idea how time passed, because suddenly it was dark outside.

Using all of the strength left in me, I tried to reach my window. I desperately wanted to look at the stars, sure that in one of their shines I'd recognize my love.

But my feet betrayed me. I fell down, unable to move.

_Seiya…aitaio! Please come back!_

I stayed there, on my room's floor, all night crying.

A/N:Sorry guys, but have to say that I won't be able to upload so fast from now on...School starts you see...But you keep reviewing and I'll do my best to upload as fast as I can!


	10. Getting Our Hopes Up

**Chapter 10: Getting Our Hopes Up**

My mom must have come to see how I was doing, because when I woke up I was back to my bed.

For just a second, when I first opened my eyes, I was at a loss.

_What's going on?_

Then everything came back to me. The pain inside my chest too…

_Why did I have to wake up…?_

A low knock on the door got my attention.

"Usagi-chan? Are up yet?"

_Makot__o…They're here again!_

"We're coming in, koneko-chan"

That was really out of the blue!

_Haruka-chan?_

I saw all of them get in and stare at me.

_My friends…_

"Usagi, it's been three whole days. I know you're worried about Seiya, but this is madness! Do you want to starve to death? Is that what you're up to?", Rei-chan shouted.

My eyes began watering again at the sound of his name.

"Oh, Usagi-chan, stop crying! Onegai!", Minako-chan pleaded.

"You know, he would want you to be strong and healthy until he comes back. Imagine him coming now and seeing you like that! He would be frantic!", Michiru-chan said.

"Koneko-chan? Please get up and eat something. We'll try to help your… boyfriend, but we need you alive to do that!". It was Haruka who spoke this time.

I looked at them, a glimmer of hope popping in my eyes.

"You know we will. But you look so frail now, you need to get your power back", Michiru tried to convince me.

I thought over it for a second, tempted to just tell them to leave.

Then I sighed and tried to get on sitting position. Nothing happened, except for a wave of dizziness that took me over.

"Could anyone help me get up? I don't think I can do it by myself…", I whispered.

"Oh, right!".

Haruka-chan lifted me up like a feather put me back, sitting this time, after Ami-chan had placed a pillow for me to lean on.

I looked at them again and tried to form a small smile, but my muscles refused to cooperate.

Rei put a plate in my hands and ordered me with a glare "You eat. We talk."

I took a quick look at my plate.

_Dumplings!_

I began eating slowly, still looking at them.

Michiru started by saying "This is Haruka's idea, just for you to know she doesn't hate Seiya as much as you thought…". Haruka glared daggers at her, but she went on "We happen to know where Kinmoku is…"

I choked on my food and started coughing.

"NANI? Why didn't you tell me earlier?", I screeched.

"One, you told us to leave last time before we could say anything, and two, even though we knew where the planet was, we had no clue how to get there!", Rei said in exasperation. "But then Ami thought…that we might be able to go there by Sailor Teleport!"

_Oh my God, how didn't I think of this earlier!_

Then I thought about it twice. My excitement died out.

"No, I can't involve you into this for my sake. Just tell me where Kinmoku is and I'll sort it out from there…"

"Koneko-chan…Although I don't like this boyfriend of yours, I can see he makes you happy. So I'm gonna go with you to help him save his princess. Because I want **my** princess to be happy!". Haruka lifted my chin so she could meet my gaze.

"I think that goes for all of us…Well, except from the 'I don't like this boyfriend of yours' part…", Mako-chan said and all the others nodded.

I dared to smile at them.

"So, we will meet at the Shrine before dawn. Let's say at 5. Make sure you all eat and get some rest, especially you Usagi." Rei knew no one would disagree with her plan (at least at some parts), so she didn't bother asking.

"Ok…Minna? Arigato…"

"Anything for you, Usagi-chan", they said leaving the room.

I stretched and smiled.

_I'm coming, Seiya! See you soon!_

Tankei Kingdom, Kinmokusei:

"The enemy has taken under his control all the cities around the palace. And, although it is a real fortress, with all food and weapon supplies cut off, it will fall soon", said the General of our army.

He had come for a quick update and left soon after.

"That's bad news…", Maker noted.

"Yeah, I know…", I said thoughtfully.

We haven't stopped fighting since we came back. And for most of the time we'd been winning, even with the absence of Maker.

Hades left for a while, but came back shortly after with double the amount of human force than he had brought the first time.

Now we weren't even sure if we could keep them away for long. The one good thing in the whole situation was that, finally, maker was back. Healer and I weren't sure if we should let her fight, although we needed her, but she swore she was fine.

When Healer and I arrived at the palace, I ran to her room to see how she was doing. I was so worried, but also very mad at her for not calling me sooner. Princess had been there too, taking care of her brave Senshi.

_Flashback:_

"Maker! Are you ok? Why didn't you let me know earlier about this? Baka!"

I dashed through the door, running to my comrade's side and grabbing her hand

She looked horrible, covered in bruises and deep cuts. But the most terrifying thing was the huge bandage over her chest and her pained face.

I gasped, tears streaming down my cheeks.

She tried to say something, but Hime stopped her and smiled wearily at me saying "Welcome back, Fighter. Could you come outside with me for a second?"

"Of course, Princess."

When we were out, she hugged me, saying with a shaky voice "Thank you for coming. We really need you…Maker was injured seriously, but, thankfully, she is recovering fast. She won't be able to go to the battle for some time, so you and Healer have to make it on your own…"

"Don't worry, Hime. We are going to protect you, Maker and our kingdom. I swear we won't lose to those creatures! I will keep you safe, even at the cost of my life!", I made my oath to her.

She smiled at me "I know you will, and thank you for that. Let's go back to Maker now"

_End of Flashback_

Unfortunately, I can't be sure to keep my promise to her.

"There seems to be no way out of this without losing", Healer said.

"There is one thing…", I said, suddenly knowing the solution. "But it requires all of our strength and courage to be carried out."

The followed my trail of thought, knowing what I meant.

We exchanged glances, deciding what we should do.

Our next battle would be tough, yet victorious.

The three sacred shooting stars would burn out, taking all threats to their Princess down with them…

_And what about Odango?_, said viciously the annoying voice in my head.

_Odango…I am so sorry…I'll always love you, but this is something I have to do…Please, take care…_

A storm of sadness took me over, but I didn't let it be seen by Maker and Healer. They didn't need to know.

"So, lets get ready for our final show then!"

A/N: Keep that reviews up, so that I can update faster! But it's really gonna take some time for me to update the next chapter, so you just hang in there! Not that I am mean and want to see you suffer, BWAHAHAHAHA(evil laugh)!


	11. Unexpected Help

A/N: I am so, so sorry for taking so long to update…School started and my schedule is pretty hectic, but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and just to know, I'm planning on uploading the next one really soon!

**Chapter 11: ****Unexpected Help**

Hikawa Shrine:

"So, are you ready?" I asked everyone.

"Hai!"

We quickly transformed and were about to leave when I noticed that Ami-chan was grabbing her face with her hands with an absolutely horrified expression on her face, and shouted "Chotto matte, we don't have a plan! What if we end up at the enemy's camp or in the middle of the battlefield?"

"Hmm… Ami's right. We need to make sure that we will arrive only in friendly grounds!", Michiru added thoughtfully.

My face fell.

"And how are we supposed to know? None of us has been there before!"

"Let's all sit down and think then!" Rei suggested.

Everyone did as she said and immersed themselves into figuring out a solution.

I was pacing up and down impatiently, getting more and more frustrated.

_We're wasting valuable time! We need to go as fast as possible!_

"Usagi-chan, calm down. We're going only when we're positive that we won't jump in unnecessary danger!" Mako-chan scolded me.

I sat next to her obediently.

"Ok…but hurry up!" I urged them.

"Why don't you try using your brain too for once, Usagi?" Rei said, irony lacing her voice.

I snarled at her.

"Stop it now! We don't have time for fooling around!" Minako-chan eyed us angrily.

"I think I have an idea" Haruka-chan interrupted. "What if we all concentrated on something specific there? That way we're going to teleport to it!"

"But on what should we concentrate?" Ami asked.

"Oh, I know! We should all think about Seiya!" I enthused, glowing from pride and happiness that I had such a wonderful idea.

Haruka pouted (not that I was surprised), but I went on saying "If we do that, then we will got straight to where he is, so we won't have to look for him!"

I shot up, ready to go.

"Actually, that's not a bad thought…" Rei commented and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Yeah, it is a very good one! I say we do it!" Michiru said.

All the others nodded in agreement, although Haruka-chan was a bit reluctant.

"Let's go!"

My patience had run out and I grabbed Ami's hand on my one side and Haruka's on the other.

"Moon Eternal Power!"

"Mercury Planet Power!"

"Mars Planet Power!"

"Jupiter Planet Power!"  
"Venus Planet Power!"

"Neptune Planet Power!"  
"Uranus Planet Power!"

"Sailor Teleport!" we yelled.

Within a second we had left our home, heading for the unknown.

On Kinmoku:

The battle would start when the sun would rise, in about an hour.

We were already prepared, so Healer, Maker and I, after saying our last farewell to princess Kakyuu, sat in our living room talking about everything and about nothing.

"Won't you tell her goodbye or something like that?" Maker asked all of a sudden.

My face twitched in pain and guilt.

_I haven't stopped thinking about her since I came here…She was the one who gave me the strength to keep fighting…_

"No. It's better this way. If I saw her now, it would make it even harder for me to carry off my duty…"

Maker gave me a sympathetic look and Healer patted my shoulder, saying "You're doing the right thing, Fighter. We have no other choice…"

"I know. I just wish we had more time together, that's all." I sighed.

Then, unexpectedly, I heard a noise coming from above my head. We all shot up, waiting for an attack. We saw a light coming from the ceiling.

"What the…!" I began saying when Odango fell on me and knocked me off my feet.

I got up and looked around only to see more people coming out of nowhere. Mine and my comrades' eyes popped out in surprise.

_They're here! All of the seven sailor Senshi!_

"O-Odango? What are you doing here?" I stuttered.

"We came to help you of course!" she cheered and run towards me, hugging me enthusiastically.

I couldn't not hug her back, but when we parted I looked at them and said in a firm tone "Thank you, minna, but you are going back to Earth. We don't need your help nor want to put you into danger."

"We didn't ask for your permission!" Uranus butted in. "We're here to make sure our Princess is going to be safe. Personally, I wouldn't bother helping you in any way if it wasn't for her!"

"So, you think that you're protecting your Princess by letting her get involved in such a risky situation?" I replied to her with a smug face.

"If we didn't help her come here, she would die anyway!" Neptune exclaimed.

"Yeah, you can't even imagine how depressed she was all this time…" Mars continued.

"She was like a ghost…" Jupiter said.

Venus nodded, frowning deeply.

"We really thought she would die…" Mercury chocked out.

_What are they talking about…!_

I took a better look at the girl in my arms. I could see their point…

Odango was pale and looked as if she was being starved to death…

"USAGI! Is that true?" I glared at her.

She stepped back a bit and lowered her gaze, so as not to meet mine.

"They're exaggerating a bit…"

"Excuse us for a minute. All of you stay here quietly until we're back" I shot them a look, grabbed Odango's arm and dragged her to my room.

I closed the door behind us and asked furiously, glaring daggers at her "Why did you do that to yourself? Didn't you think what your death would mean to your friends, to me?" I yelled shaking her violently.

She didn't say a thing, which ticked me off even more.

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

The walls crackled from my yelling.

"I don't want to live if it has to be without you!" she finally said.

"Oh, Odango…"

I hugged her and she began crying.

"Please, don't don't make me stay away from you! I can't stand it! Please…"

Her voice came out shaky by her sobs. She sounded so hurt and desperate…It was breaking my heart.

"But, sweetie, it would kill me if something happened to you, don't you get it!" I tried to explain.

She looked at me and said "The same goes for me too. That's why we need to make sure both of us will be safe. Also that's why I'm gonna stay here and fight with you!"

"What if the others get hurt though? Have you thought about it? You can't put their lives on risk!" I said. That was my last hope, my ace in the hole .

"I know. That's why I'm going to ask them to leave. I just needed their help to come here."

"But, Odan…"

She put her hand on my mouth, preventing my next objection to come out.

"I'm staying. End of discussion."

I looked at her face, full of determination, and sighed.

_I won't be able to change her mind, that__'s for sure!_

"You're crazy, you know that?" I told her softly as I lifted her on my arms.

She locked hers behind my neck and kissed me.

"Yeah, I am…But so are you! That's why we love each other!" she giggled. "Now put me down and let's go tell the others!"

I placed her down gently and we headed back slowly, holding hands.

When we entered the room, every one stood up and stared at us, waiting for our decision.

Odango took a deep breath and said "I am going to stay here and fight. Minna, thank you so much for helping me come here, but now I want you to go back. This isn't your problem anymore, as I'm going to be perfectly fine with Fighter."

"What do you think…" Uranus tried to say, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, glaring at - who else? - me of course!

"You heard me. Now, please, go. I can't force you into this." Odango said

Mars arched an eyebrow.

"Ne, Mercury? Did anyone make you come here?" she asked her friend nonchalantly.

Mercury didn't get it at first, but then she smiled and said "No. I came because I wanted to!"

"Me too!" Jupiter hurried to say.

"Actually, I always wanted to see how Kinmoku really is!" Venus said cheerily.

"But, guys you…"

"Sailor Moon, don't even bother trying" said Neptune

"We aren't going anywhere and you know it" Uranus finished, winking at her.

A smile spread on Odango's face, and I caught myself grinning too.

_Maybe we won't have to sacrifice ourselves after all…_

I turned to Maker and Healer, only to see they were too thinking the same thing.

"If that's your final decision, you need to get ready. The battle starts any time now" Healer let us know.

"And it is going to be a fierce one" Maker warned.

"We are well prepared" Odango answered for all of them.

I looked at them and said "Let's go, then!"

I opened the door and we all went out to begin our mission.


	12. A Clash Full Of Surprises

CHAPTER 12 EDITED

**Chapter 12: A Clash Full of Surprises**

We stood on a hill, having a clear view of the eminent battle field in front of us.

"Everything is set, Fighter-sama"

I had called the General to inform him about the arrival of the Senshi and that they were here to help. It wouldn't be good if our own soldiers began fighting our allies…

"Wait for a while then. We will attack on my mark. Go back to your position and…General, good luck!" I smiled at him encouragingly.

"Don't worry. We're going to finish them off today!"

He left and I went back to the others, who were up and ready to fight.

_Now I have to say something really inspiring…_

I opened my mouth, ready to start talking.

"Fighter! Mars is being mean to me again!" Odan…hmm, ok Sailor Moon, run to my side whining.

_Ookaayy, no pep talk then…_

"Come on, Sailor Moon! The battle is about to begin! Mars, stop messing around with her!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see my best friends and comrades standing next to me and smiling.

"I bet I can take down twice as much as you, Fighter!" Healer joked, winking at me.

"No way! I'll take them all on my own and you're gonna beg me to leave some for you!"

"Not when I'm around!" Maker joined in. "It's time for you two to see how pros work!"

We stared at each other and burst into laughter.

"What could possibly be so funny!" Uranus said sarcastically.

"Let me think…You!" I said and we laughed louder.

She twitched an eyebrow and was about to say something in return – probably extra mean and offensive – but Neptune said first "Oh, Uranus, please calm down!"

She turned to the giggling Starlights, saying "She actually is very gentle and relaxed most of the time, you know…It's a bad thing she's like that only when it's just the two of us…" She smiled at her comrade meaningfully.

Uranus turned bright red and smiled back at her.

I took away my gaze, looking for my love.

She had left my side and I spotted her standing at the edge of the hill, looking at the sea of men ready to fight for their home. She had a deep frown and looked absorbed in her thoughts.

_I know what she is thinking…She must feel so sad, knowing many of these people won't make it back alive today._

"Odango?" I hugged her from behind. "You know there's nothing else we can do now. It's not our fault…"

"You're right…I just wish we could solve this without having to fight. Not that I'm scared… I just don't want any of those innocent people to get hurt!" she said sorrowfully.

I poked the dumplings at the top of her head and said with a chuckle "How do you know they're innocent? They might be very sinful!"

She rolled her eyes, turned around and hugged me back.

I kissed her softly for a second, then said "Time to start now"

I looked at where the General waited for my mark.

I took a deep breath and shouted from the top of my lungs "GO!"

United as one, we ran towards our enemy.

Adrenaline was rushing through my veins as I kept fighting harder and harder, trying not to disappoint Fighter or anyone else…

_I really don't how long it's been since the battle began, but it feels like ages!_

Everyone was putting their heart and soul into this and I could say we were pretty effective.

The only slight, little problem seemed to be that even though we got rid of as many enemies as we could, twice as many showed up to take their place…

And, although we started out fighting separately, we ended up in pairs.

Uranus and Neptune, the unbeatable duo, fought restlessly in high speed. The only ones who could compete with them were Maker and Healer, the other pairing fighting as efficiently.

"Ne, Uranus? Why don't we place a bet?" Healer shouted. "I'll let you trash Seiya's closet when we get back, if you can beat Maker's and my total score of kicked butts!"

"Hey!" Fighter yelled, but was destructed by an incoming attack. "Star Serious Laser!" she dodged it easily.

"Count us in!" Uranus answered to a grinning Healer before she shouted "World Shaking!"

Jupiter and Venus went quite well too, having taken down almost as many as Mars and Mercury.

Actually, those two were pretty funny together…the one showered the ones who made the mistake to attack them with freezing water and then the other fried them. Or the other way around…

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

The attack went past me, a few inches away from my face. I turned around and saw that someone was trying to sneak from behind, without me noticing a thing.

"Ehm…thanks!" I said.

"Anytime! But, please try to be more focused!" Mars told me and then turned to attack again.

"Hai! Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" I yelled.

Most of the time, I was with Fighter, but she tended to get too excited and drift away, chasing the poor things down.

All I could hear was the noise of the fight.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Dead Scream!"

I froze in the middle of my attack tilting my head upright, and would be dead by now if Fighter hadn't rescued me the last second.

"Star Serious Laser!". She turned to face me and yelled "What the hell are you doing? Move!"

_Oops…She is really mad at me…_

"G-gomen"

I tried to spot Pluto while fighting, which – trust me – isn't the easiest thing in the world!

_There she is!_

"Setsuna-san!"

She came closer, giving me the opportunity to see who else was with her.

"Hotaru-chan!"

_Unbelievable!_

"What are you doing here?" I asked when they were close enough to hear me.

"Silent Wall!" Saturn yelled. "We came to help you, of course!"

"Arigato!" I said smiling at both of them.

They flashed me a quick smile and went back to the fight.

I followed their example, feeling hope rising in my heart.

In a while there was an obvious change around all of us. Pluto and Saturn came right at the time when we were beginning to feel hopeless and gave us strength to go on.

All of a sudden, a piercing sound made us all stop and cover our ears.

_What is this horrible noise?_

I fell to my knees, paralyzed from pain.

I looked around and saw that the others were in agony too.

"Bwahahahaha, what little pests you are! You thought you could beat me? Bwahahaha"

I saw a figure coming out of nowhere, covered in darkness.

_It's him! The one who caused all this, Hades!_

I tried to get back on my feet, but it seemed impossible.

Then I saw Fighter.

She was still standing, with a lot of effort, and was approaching Hades.

_Come on, girl! You can do it!_, I said to myself.

I finally got up, knowing though that even trying to move would result in my falling back down, head first.

So I just stood there and watched…

"Star Serious…"

The noise suddenly stopped and I saw a large ball of dark energy going rapidly towards Fighter.

Without a second thought, I ran and threw myself before her, taking the blow instead.

We were both knocked down by the impact and I felt the world spinning around fast.

Numbness took me over, but not before I could hear Fighter shout frantically.

"ODANGO!"

A/N: See? I kept my promise! And I'll try to update faster from now on...Just keep reviewing and making me happy, ok?


	13. Captured

**Chapter 13: Captured**

I half-opened my eyes.

The waves of pain from my abdomen quickly spread to the rest of my body.

Then I noticed a set of red eyes giving me a look full of concern.

_Kakyuu-hime!_

I tried to sit up, but a firm hand on my shoulder prevented me.

I looked at the one who owned it.

"F-Fighter…" was all I could whisper, as a throbbing head-ache and nausea were added to my list of discomfort.

_As if I wasn't hurting enough…_

"Sailor Moon, please just stay where you are. You were severely injured, but I'm doing my best to help you heal. I can't do much, though, without Healer's help…" the princess said, caressing my cheek.

"Odango, how are you feeling?"

Her sweet voice and scent took me away and all I could see was her face.

She had a worried expression and a deep frown.

"You scared me half to death jumping in front of me like that! I thought you were going to die! Never, ever do that again, do you understand?"

She hugged me, tears running down her cheeks.

"Agh!" I gasped. "Too. Tight."

"Oh!" Fighter shot up. "Gomen!"

I took a better look at her.

She was covered in dirt and tufts of her black-blue hair were hanging loose all over her face. She only had some scratches here and there as far as I could see, and a bruise was forming on her arm.

I sighed with relief and smiled at her – a grueling task for me, as every single movement of my muscles was painful.

"You are safe. Yokatta…" I said with a lot of effort. "Where are the others?"

Both Fighter and Hime lowered their gaze.

_Uh Oh…._

"What is it? Are they ok?"

I was becoming very worried and the non-stop pain wasn't helping any.

"_I can't do much without Healer's help…"_

_So Healer isn't here…Are the others gone too?_

Fighter sat at the corner of my bed and took my hands in hers.

"When you passed out, everyone attacked Hades at the same time. They managed only to surprise him, but it was long enough for me to teleport back here and leave you to Hime. When I got back, they were gone. Hades left us an ultimatum… Only if we give our princess and the throne up and swear loyalty to him, will we ever get them back…alive" Fighter said, her voice became lower and lower, with her last words being barely above a whisper.

It took several seconds for her words to fully sink in.

_That…that can't be!_

"Please tell me that you're lying…" my voice came out hoarse through my clenched teeth.

Fighter didn't say anything, she just looked at me with a pained expression and shook her head.

I turned to Kakyuu – sama, desperately needing her to tell me all of this was just a joke.

"She's doing that to punish me for being careless, right?" I asked pleadingly.

"I'm so sorry ,Sailor Moon, but she's telling the truth…" she chocked out with difficulty.

Kakyuu got up and left Fighter and I alone.

_NO, NO, NO!_

Tears blurred my vision, but I quickly wiped them away and slowly got up, flinching by the great pain this simple movement caused.

"Lets go! We must get them back!" I snarled, as I forced my legs to start moving.

"Don't you dare make even one step forward or I'll tie you up!" I shouted with outrage as I lifted her up as gently as I could, despite my anger, placing her back on the bed.

"But, Fighter…" she began protesting.

I glared at her fiercely.

She backed down, looking shocked and a bit frightened.

_Do I really look so scary?_

I quickly shook away that thought and I said, sighing "He gave us two days, Usagi. Only two days. But you can't fight when you're like this. You need to rest, while I make up a plan, ok? Please don't do anything that'll hurt you. You'll recover faster resting , so go to sleep, onegai!" I said in a milder tone.

She pouted.

"Ok…"

She didn't like it but she knew I was right.

I sat at the side of the bed and stroke her hair, slightly smiling.

"Aishiteru"

"I love you too" she said, smiling back at me.

Her eyes began closing, as exhaustion won over her, and I placed a small kiss on her forehead as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

I stayed with her for a while, marveling at her beauty. She was dazzling, even after the rough fight and injury she had.

I sighed, got on my feet and left the room.

On my way out, I stopped by Hime's room.

"How is she?"

"Good for now. Could you please take care of her? I need to get ready." I told her.

I turned to leave before she answered.

Her hand grabbed my arm,stopping me.

"Are you going all alone? You don't even know exactly where they are! Please take me with you!" she begged me.

"No, Princess. It's too dangerous. Besides I can feel Maker and Healer, they're not too far from here. When I get closer it'll be easy for me to track them down."

She looked at me with her sad crimson eyes and sighed giving up.

"Fighter, be careful. For all of our sakes."

Her voice cracked with emotion.

I smiled at her.

"Hai, I will. Arrigato, Princess"

Then I set out to find my friends.

Unknown Location:

Uranus woke up feeling as if a bus had hit her head full force.

She opened her eyes slightly, trying to decipher the blurry images she saw through the dim light.

As her senses awakened, the stench of a small and crowded room kicked in her nose and made her feel sick.

_Hmm… It seems I am tied up, both legs and arms._

Her stiff back was resting on something…ehm, someone.

She opened her eyes wide to see her comrades were too tied in pairs of two, squeezed close to each other and still unconscious.

Neptune was back to back with Maker, Mercury with Jupiter and Mars with Venus.

That left one out… The one she was with…

_Why did it have to be her?_

But then she reasoned with herself.

_Ok…it could have been worse. At least it's not Fighter…_

She turned her face half-way around and caught a glimpse of silver hair.

She smirked, then elbowed the Starlight harshly.

"Itai!" Healer shrieked, waking up. "Why did you do that?"

"Shut it and help me wake the others up!" the tall girl snapped back.

_Who does she think she is!_

Healer was so mad at the annoying blonde, but wisely decided not to pick a fight with her just then.

_Oh, I'll show her as soon as we get back!_

She shook Mars' foot with hers, calling her name.

"Mars? Mars, wake up…MARS!" she yelled making both her and Mercury jump up in surprise.

"What!" they screeched in perfect synchronization, glaring at the cause the silver-headed.

"Where are we?"

Jupiter was the one who spoke, eyeing them sheepishly. She was still half asleep.

"Five more minute, mama…"

Venus turned her face to the other side and continued her sleep.

"Wake her up!" Healer told Mercury, who was still glaring daggers at her.

"Gently, not how Healer woke me up. I almost had a heart attack!" the fire Senshi said, still glaring daggers at the source of her annoyance.

"You wouldn't wake up any other way!" Healer said defiantly.

"Now's not the time to solve this!" Maker exclaimed, making Mars, who was about to say something in return, stop and just look at Healer accusingly.

"Maker is right, girls. Does anyone remember how we got here?" Neptune, who was up too, asked.

"All I recall is Hades attacking us after Fighter left with Sailor Moon…" said a yawning Venus.

They were all silent for a second, trying to figure out what exactly had happened.

"Well, obviously, we aren't either at the battlefield nor at the palace" Uranus noted.

"But if we were captured, why are we still alive?"

Mercury's square logic baffled them even more.

"There's only one possibility then…" Maker suddenly said, "We're bait!"

They all realized she had to be right.

"So what do we do now?" Jupiter wondered.

A small grin glinted on Uranus' face.

"We escape of course!"

"Oh, really? Aren't you a genius! And how are we going to that with these?" Healer yanked roughly the chains that they were tied with, emphasizing on her point.

"So what do you suggest, pipsqueak? Just sit back and relax maybe?" Uranus barked at her, venom lacing her words.

"What did you just call me?" the now furious Starlight growled, trying to reach the one who insulted her, but was put to a halt by Maker's warning glare.

Neptune spoke, trying to calm them down "Yamete, we need to focus on how to get out of here. Uranus, Healer is right. We can't get these chains easily off, but even if we could, we know nothing about this place and we need a plan!"

"Yeah, what if there's a whole army outside watching us?" Venus said, glancing worriedly at the door of the room.

They all looked at the heavy, steel door blocking their way out.

It indeed seemed impossible for them to open it, but they would try anyway.

Suddenly, they heard a key turning in the keyhole and saw a scary-looking, heavily armed soldier come in.

"I heard noise coming from here. You be quiet or I'll make you shut up!"

The Senshi glared at him but said nothing.

He smirked maliciously and went back out, locking the door behind him.

"At least we know one of them is out there…" Healer dared to say.

They all exchanged glances.

They would definitely get out of there.

They wouldn't let anyone stand in their way!

A/N: It didn't take so long this time, did it? A huge thanks to my beta reader, she knows who she is! Please R&R if you like or hate it!


	14. No Escape

N/A: Sorry for taking so long to update …I'm in lack of free time lately and need some inspiration to keep me going too, so keep reviewing!

**Chapter 14: No Escape**

I had been searching for them endlessly for hours, which was proving impossible, when I felt the warm light radiating from my comrades getting stronger.

_At last!_

I was getting more and more tired as the day went by, running like this was wearing me out.

My fuku was soaked with sweat and my feet were killing me.

_Damned heels! I'll have to do something about that when I get back…_

The sun was going down and I knew that if I didn't find them soon I'd have to stop and rest for the night, I was getting too tired to be of use.

_Hang on, girl! You've been through much worse! Just a little farther…They can't be that far._

A dark forest spread across right in front of me, which is where the lights were coming from. It looked scary and dangerous, a perfect place for traps.

I ignored the churning in my stomach and walked in fearlessly.

As I walked in the darkness, I was able to see very little, but with the presence of Maker and Healer getting stronger, I made my way through, as silently as I could.

After a few minutes, I saw a weak ray of light coming from just ahead of me.

I went towards it, being careful not to let myself be seen by anyone.

A wave of dark energy surrounded me.

I smirked.

_Bingo!_

I couldn't believe I had found the enemy's hideout that easily! All I had to do now was work my way in, unnoticed, find the other Sailors, and set them free!

Then I frowned.

It wouldn't be as easy as I wanted, though.

I could see that the main gate to their majestic fortress (yeah, they were organized damn well!) was heavily guarded so it was out of the question to try to sneak in through there.

I walked around, trying to find a way in.

I saw another entrance which was guarded as well, so that one wouldn't be a good idea either.

_How the hell did they manage to build this under Maker's and Healer's nose? This could easily hold back an army for some days! _

I went around it and checked it out again, a plan already forming in my mind.

_Ok, here we go…_

I went closer to the main entrance, sending a mild attack towards it.

I was completely covered by the lush vegetation so I couldn't be seen and as soon as the guards from the back ran to see what was going on, I quickly dashed in.

_Phase number one completed successfully. Now time for phase number two._

As I thought, there were much less people here than outside. That made it way easier for me to find my friends.

Shortly I would be able to telepathically contact them. It was quite weird though, because under normal circumstances we'd be able to communicate while being much farther from each other.

_Hmm…this is not good. The vibes this place gives off are giving me the creeps…_

I figured out that they must be locked in the basement, in some kind of cell, so I found an open window and quickly climbed in without difficulty as no one was there.

When I was inside the building, my moving around became much harder.

I had to change direction multiple times to avoid being caught, before I finally discovered a staircase.

It was dark, filthy and slippery but seemed empty and so I began descending in full alarm.

When I reached the last step, a horrible smell filled my nostrils and I saw light coming from a corner.

I pressed my back against the wall, peeping at someone who seemed to be guarding a huge door.

_Maker, Healer, can you hear me?_

I mentally called them, trying to let them know I was here.

A second passed…

_Fighter? Is it really you?_

It was Healer who sensed her first.

_No, it's my alter ego. Of course it's me, baka! _

That girl could be really slow sometimes…

_I will get you later for that! Maker is too tired to talk back, but she can listen to us. Now, what's the plan?_

_You just wait 'till I get rid of the guard. Then I'll let you out and we will go back to the castle._

_Ok…Fighter, watch out. This seems to be a tough one._

I could feel her worrying over me.

_I'll be fine, but thanks anyway. See you in a minute._

She cut the connection off, probably to tell the others what's going on.

I inhaled deeply.

Then I leapt in front of the guard, surprising him for a second and thus managing to attack him.

"STAR SERIOUS LASER!"

He took the hit, which threw him against the wall, without having the time to react.

_That much would do._

My attack wasn't charged enough to kill him, as all I wanted was to get him out of my way.

But then I saw him getting up and taking out an enormous club, as if my blow didn't even touch him.

I stared at him in confusion for a fraction of a second and began charging my powers up to call my attack again.

I didn't have enough time to do so though, because he swung a powerful hit which I avoided in the nick of time.

I immediately turned and kicked him hard in the right leg, making him stumble a bit.

_Gotcha!_

I was about to strike another blow, when he leapt forward and punched me.

As soon as his fist connected with my face, I heard something cracking.

I growled as pain surged through me, my eyes tearing.

I grabbed my now broken nose, trying to get away from him and reorganize my messy head.

_Holy cow! That hurts!_

Blood was streaming down my face, but I managed to dodge all of his next blows.

He was moving with inconceivable speed and all I could do was avoid him, never having the chance to strike back.

I could remotely hear my comrades calling me, having felt my pain, but I was too busy dealing with the guard to answer them.

I managed to strike him with a few light blows, always getting away from his in the last second.

In a while, I was short of breath and my arms were aching.

_If this lasts much longer, I won't be able to evade him any more…_

His club smashing against my chest took me off guard and knocked me down, making me lose my breath.

He pinned me down, grabbing my head and hitting it against the floor.

I yelped in pain and felt dizziness taking me over.

_I have to do something before…_

I saw his tightly clenched fist flying towards my head and quickly tilted it to the side.

His hand hit the spot right next to my ear, and he snarled from the pain it caused him.

That was my chance, so I gathered all my strength and knocked him over, kicking him where no man ever wants to get hit, which made him scream.

Taking advantage of his distress, I leapt up, kicking him hard against the wall.

"STAR SERIOUS LASER!"

This time the attack was effective and I bend over his unconscious body, looking for the keys.

As soon as I found them, I ran to the door, unlocking it with shaky hands.

"Fighter!" Maker yelled when she saw me, her face showing relief.

I tossed the keys to Healer, saying "Check if any of these fits the locks to your chains."

They did as I said hurriedly, knowing there was no time for talking.

I leaned against the wall, resting a bit until they were all untied.

"Let's go now!" I told them.

We carefully made our way up the stairs, ready to fight if anyone showed up.

Blood kept coming out of my nose, but I ignored it and walked in front of everyone else, as I was the only one who knew were to go.

We quietly walked in the main building, wanting badly to leave this place.

I peeped behind the wall to see if the corridor leading to the exit was empty. I came to a halt, making the others behind me stumble.

"What's going on?" Maker whispered in my ear, voicing everybody's thoughts.

I didn't turn to face them, just mouthed "There is about twenty or more soldiers there…We can't go without them noticing us! We need to make a diversion…"

We all heard a sound coming from behind us.

I turned around to face see the guard I had taken down, painfully staggering his way up the staircase.

He tilted his head up, his eyes locking on me, and gave me a look of pure hatred.

I gulped and looked at my friends frantically.

_Now what?_

He gave us no time to react and just ran towards me furiously, pushing Mercury ,who was standing right in front of me, out of his way and grabbing tightly my neck.

I tried to kick him, but as he lifted me into the air, the air left my lungs and I began suffocating.

"STAR GENTLE UTERUS!"

"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO!"

My comrades decided it was best to blow our cover than have me dead (thank god!), and I fell to the ground, coughing hard and trying to breathe again.

"Daijoubou?" my best friends asked worriedly.

"H-Hai...We need to leave right now!" I said still coughing and shot up only to see we were surrounded by soldiers.

_Grr, no leaving quietly, I see!_

We all took a fighting stance, charging up to attack those who blocked our way out.

It was an unfair fight for us. We were only eleven, while they were more than twenty, but we didn't quite have any other choice.

"Surrender and they won't kill you."

I heard his familiar spooky voice. So Hades was here too…

"Show yourself, you coward! Stop hiding behind your puppets!" I snapped.

"We'll see if you'll continue to be so rude when you see who I got here…"

His mocking voice sent chills down my spine and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

The stranglehold of the soldiers, who were getting closer and closer, suddenly loosened up and they made an opening ahead of us.

There, in Hades' hands, Odango was laying motionless with her eyes closed.

Fear and madness rushed through me.

"Get your filthy hands off her!" I screeched.

Maker and Healer held me back as I tried to go towards her, eager to take her away from that monster.

"Stop fighting and I'll give her back to you!"

"Why? Come and fight me! What are you waiting for?"

He chuckled evilly and said "You're interesting…That's why I haven't killed you yet! It would be nice to have something to play with when I'm king of Kinmoku!"

"I think you're just afraid of us" Haruka barked.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Me? Afraid of you?", he laughed loudly, making all of us shudder, "I don't think so! So what will it be? Don't forget, I can kill her any time I please" he said with his eyes peering through me as he shook Odango violently.

My body stiffened, my fists clenched and fury made my blood boil.

_We have to do something!_

I glanced at the others, trying to make a decision.

They too felt incredibly anxious over Usagi being at Hades' hands. She was their princess after all.

I decided to go with the only plan I could make up at the time, even though the rest of the Senshi wouldn't like it.

I sighed, raising my hands up.

"We won't fight any more…" I stated.

I could feel the shock of my comrades, but, really, was there anything else we could do?

I felt dirty and treasonous, but there was nothing to be done about it.

_Gomenasai, Hime…I've failed you…_


	15. Tied Up Again

**Chapter 15: Tied Up Again**

Surprisingly enough ,it was my growling stomach that woke me up.

Grr…

_Yep, that's me._

I opened my eyes and sat up, ready to ask Fighter or Kakyuu-hime if there was anything to eat but I immediately froze, with my mouth half-open, as soon as I took in my surroundings.

Then I remembered.

_Flashback:_

"Ohayo, Kakyuu-sama. Where's Fighter? I asked her while yawning and rubbing my sleepy eyes. She was sitting on a chair right beside my bed, slightly smiling at me. I stretched my arms and legs as I stood up and the first thing I noticed was that, although I was still a bit ore here and there, most of the pain had faded away.

I blinked a few times in surprise and stretched even more. I looked down and saw that someone had got me off the fuku and I now was wearing cute pajamas with little , pink bunnies drawn on them.

_Kawai! But, ehm.__.. who dressed me?_

I blushed darkly but decided not to think about it.

A few moments later I realized that Kakyuu-hime hadn't answered me.

_Weird…_

"Hime, what's wrong?" I turned my gaze at her only to see that the smile had vanished from her face and worry had taken its place.

"First of all, how do you feel? I've done my best and I expect that you are better now."

I nodded.

"Yeah, I am much better, but please tell me what's going on! Where's Fighter?"

I was looking at her expectantly, my stomach churning as I was getting more and more upset.

She sighed and began talking.

"Fighter decided she needed to go find the others by herself as you were injured and the time was pressing us. I offered to go with her but she didn't even want to hear about it."

Her face fell in embarrassment.

"I know I should have insisted on going…" she continued but I cut her off.

"That is not the problem. She did the right thing telling you not to go with her, but why didn't she at least take me? I know I am more of trouble than help, still why?"

Tears of confusion and disappointment fell from my eyes.

Do_shite? Am I so useless? She should have taken me with her! What if she is in danger right now? What if she dies?_

I refused to consider this a possibility, but my mind kept making up the worst scenarios.

I suddenly felt a hand cupping mine. I turned and looked at the red-haired princess.

Her big, crimson eyes were blurry too and she looked worn out. She looked so fragile and scared.

_She is still so young,_ I realized_._

Even though she had been through so much and was bound to go through even more, she was still a teenager about my age, far too young for all this.

I needed to be strong! Not only for Figher, not only for my friends but for that kind and caring princess too!

I squeezed her hand encouragingly and flashed a smile after whipping out my tears.

"Everything is going to be ok, don't worry. I am going to find Fighter and bring the others back!"

I caught a glimpse of my transformation brooch on the bedside table so I grabbed it and yelled

"Moon Eternal, Make- Up!"

Within seconds I was transformed and ready to go.

"Sailor moon, matte! Take me with you, please! I can't just stay here and do nothing!" she asked me pleadingly.

I thought about it for a second. She would be helpful indeed, as I had no clue of how to find them. But…

_What would Fighter do?_

"I am sorry, hime, but you need to stay here. I know that you are worried about them and want to help, but leaving the safety of the palace, especially know that your warriors are missing, isn't a wise thing to do. Besides, you can't leave your people here all alone! They need their princess!"

I gave her an apologetic look and sighed.

She pouted a bit, but then said "You are right. Go, but be careful!"

"Hai! Thank you for everything!"

I left the palace grounds soon after that, completely at a loss of where to go first.

_Ok, Usagi, don't panic! Just start walking and you'll find them! At least I hope so…_

I began walking randomly and after a while I couldn't see the palace any more.

At that point there was no turning back, so I kept pacing forward, getting more discouraged as the miles went by slowly.

It was no big secret that I didn't have much stamina nor did I like exercising, but I kept pushing myself.

_I need to find them! __, _I thought and walked faster than before.

Hours later, when I was about to collapse from exhaustion, I felt as it someone was behind me, watching me…I turned on my heels, goose-bumps running all over my body.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed me from behind and a hand covered my mouth, muffling my terrified scream. A hard blow on the back of my head turned everything black.

_End of Flashback_

I looked around me, trying to understand what was going on.

The room I was in didn't seem as a prison of any kind. It was spacious, richly decorated and furnished and with a table full of the most delicious food I've ever seen dominating its centre.

My stomach growled again.

In another case, I would have run to the table without a second thought, but the throbbing pain caused by a huge bump on the back of my head screamed to me that I had to be cautious.

I slowly got up from the huge, soft bed I was laying and walked to the door. I just needed to check something.

_Locked…_ _I thought so_.

"Why do you want to leave such a nice place so fast?"

The loud voice coming from behind made me jump in surprise. I turned around and came face to face with Hades.

I froze and my eyes popped out.

All about him gave me the creeps. The way he looked at me with a small smirk on his face, so I took a few steps back to get away from his scary proximity.

His smirk grew wider as he saw my reaction, but he stepped back too, sitting on a chair close to him.

"Why don't you eat something? I bet it's been a while since the last time you did" he urged me, using a quite polite manner, which I didn't expect.

_Maybe he change__d his mind! Maybe he doesn't want to fight any more!_

But then I thought over it better.

_Iie, there's something fishy about this whole thing. I must be careful with him._

As I eyed him suspiciously, trying to decide what I should do, it was obvious by the way he looked back at me that he wasn't going to wait long.

So I began talking, forcing myself to sound confident and cool.

"Why did you bring me here and where are my friends? What did you do with them?"

Despite my efforts, the words came out weak and shaky.

"You don't need to worry about them, not for now. What I can tell you is that you can get out of this, along with your precious friends, alive, but only if you make a deal with me", he told me.

I didn't see that coming!

_A deal?_

"What kind of deal?" I asked, not really sure I wanted to know.

"All you have to do is convince that indigo-headed sailor of yours to give her princess up. After that I'll set you all free"

I shook my head and said "She would never do that, even if I asked her. And I would never do that!"

Hades shot up and came closer to where I was standing, no longer smiling.

"Oh, but she will! She already has stepped back for you once; no doubt she will do it again. And you will ask her if you want her and the rest of your friends to stay alive!"

He had run out of patience, he wanted to end all of this as soon as possible.

_What should I do?_

At the basement:

Everyone knew better than to say anything while we were being tied up and locked to the same room as they were before. The whole time I felt two sets of eyes, burning with fury, piercing me.

So as soon as the guards left us alone, my green eyed comrade burst.

"What do you think you're doing? You gave out without even letting us fight first! How could you betray Hime like that?"

"Are you blind, pipsqueak? Didn't you see that he was holding Sailor Moon?" Uranus barked at her before I could answer.

"Stay out of this, it's none of your business! This is about our princess and our leader!" Maker hissed.

"Yeah, but Sailor Moon is our princess, so I don't think there was anything else we could have done!" Mars said back.

"That doesn't mean we should give up our princess" Healer screeched.

"Urasai!"

I growled in anger.

"I didn't betray Kakyuu-sama! I just bought as some time. We would definitely lose there and then both Odango and Hime would die, so we needed to back down!" I explained to them.

True, for a bit I really thought we were hopeless but I got my sense back and I was already trying to figure a way out.

Maker sighed with relief and said "Thank kami-sama. Fighter, for a second I thought you really wouldn't resist anymore!"

"Hai, you made me worry that I'd have to beat sense into you!" Healer said half pouting, half smiling.

I winked at them, smiled and said "Oi! I'm just too smart for you to follow!"

I heard Uranus chuckle.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Nani?"

"It's not that hard for me to believe you gave up your princess! After all, it wouldn't be the first time you couldn't protect her!" she answered with a smirk.

"Why you!" I seethed.

"You are not the one to talk about betrayal." Maker snapped, glaring daggers at her.

"That's right! You shouldn't forget that your friends were the ones to leave us alone in this first!" Healer seconded.

_What are they talking about?_

I looked at them, feeling baffled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Sailor Pluto and sailor Saturn escaped, leaving us behind before we were captured by Hades" my lilac-eyed comrade informed me.

_Setsuna-san and Hotaru-san left?_

I was even more confused now.

"Why did they do such a thing?" I wondered.

"It's not like that, you guys!" Mercury sweatdropped "I'm sure they have a good reason for doing what they did…"

"Yeah, they wouldn't leave us in a situation like this!" Venus added and Jupiter gave an agreeing nod.

"Besides we don't betray our friends that easily, unlike others" Uranus marked, emphasizing on the 'others'.

My eyebrow twitched in fury and I snarled "You ignorant baka, stop drifting away from the topic just to insult us!"

Neptune sighed and scolded "Stop fighting already! We have more important things to do right now!"

"Hai, hai…"

I glared at the annoying blonde but said nothing else.

"As it is now, it's better that Pluto and Saturn escaped. They'll be able to help us much more as they're not imprisoned too…" Mars noted.

What she said fired up more arguments amongst the others, but I didn't take notice of them.

My mind was occupied, worrying over a certain odango-headed girl…

Close to the enemy's base:

A dark-haired girl looked at her friend with eyes full of concern.

"Daijoubou, Setsuna?" the girl asked, leaning down to check her comrade's injury.

"Hai, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Hotaru-chan" she answered.

The time and space sailor had a deep wound on the left side of her abdomen and twitched in pain as she tried to get up.

"Wait, don't get up! You should rest a little longer!" Saturn yelled frantically, pushing her friend back down.

Pluto got away from her grab and stood up, saying "I said I am fine. It's time to go, the others are waiting for us."

The younger Senshi sighed.

"I know, I just don't want you to get hurt more…"

"We have to go help them though. But I need to check something first…" Pluto said with determination.

Then the two of them vanished into the dark night.

A/N: Here it is, chapter 15! Sorry for taking so long, but real life can't wait….I'll update soon, though!


	16. When Things Get Hard

A/N: I've taken way too long, I know. Gomenasai, I'm studying like crazy so no time for practically anything else! I believe I'll get to finish the story by the end Christmas holidays, so keep an eye out for the next chapter.

**Chapter 16: When Things Get Hard**

I didn't know how much time had passed since we all gradually stopped talking and simply sat there.

My back was stiff due to the way I was seated and all of my body, especially my nose, was giving me a hell of a pain.

But that was the least of my problems.

I was stressed out about our situation and the fact that we didn't seem to have a way out, but mostly I was worried sick about Odango.

_Damn H__ades, if you lay even one filthy finger of yours on her, I swear I'll burn you alive!_

I had a deep frown and my eyes were shut, as I was trying to think of what to do.

But my mind kept drifting away, thinking of her.

_What if she gets hurt?_

_What if she…dies?_

These 'what ifs' drove me crazy.

I felt so helpless, as if I was a little child.

_Should I just try to escape and go secure Hime-sama? But what about Usagi? I could never leave her behind!_

I gritted my teeth in frustration.

_Maybe I should just let the others decide…_

I figured that, even though I was the Starlight leader, I proved to be useless in such dangerous situations.

_It's not like you didn't try!_

I felt a presence in my mind.

_Are you ok, Fighter?_

Maker glanced up at me, giving me a compassionate and concerned look.

I gave her a thanking nod.

_Not exactly. I don't think any of us is 'ok' right now…But if you mean physically, I've been through worse._

She nodded, not bothering to talk.

I could feel Healer hearing our short conversation, but she didn't join in. Poor thing, she was exhausted.

Well, everyone was.

Most importantly, though, all of us lacked in morale. After trying for hours to come up with a solution, we eventually gave into exhaustion and sunk into a disheartened silence.

I dared to look around me, just to see all of my friends staring at nowhere in particular with blank, sad eyes.

That fired up a feeling of anger in me.

Because we weren't just ordinary girls.

We've been through this kind of situations countless times, but we still were sitting here doing nothing, like a bunch of losers.

But we can't afford losing any of our important people and besides…

_We're Sailor Senshi, dammit! We're gonna get through this one too!_

I could feel that my thoughts provoking a stir to my comrades. The other two Starlights wanted to do something too.

_We're here for you, leader, don't forget that, _Maker thought, giving me a warm look.

_Hai, for once I agree with the beanstalk! __,_the green-eyed one thought.

Maker turned her amethyst eyes to her, giving a frightening glare.

I chuckled and said to Healer "You shouldn't be talking about heights, shortie"

"Oi, who's side are you on?" the petite Starlight screeched, supposedly angry but at the same time flashing me a small grin.

"Don't you know it's rude to talk in front of others about something they don't know?" Neptune scolded, slightly amused.

"Don't be such a whiny ,Michi! Anyways, it's about time we got out of here, don't you think?" I said tilting my head up to face her.

"Did you think of something, Fighter?" Mars asked, a glimmer of hope appearing into her eyes. Eyes that were red and blurry…

_She's been crying!_

I was quite surprised to see her, out of all people, like that.

I hastily turned to the rest of the girls.

They all looked awful, as if they had every last drop of their energy sucked up. Mercury was leaning onto Jupiter's side with tears streaming down theirs cheeks and Venus had her face buried to her knees.

Even the always-calm-and-collected Uranus had a pained expression on her face.

_Apparently, I'm not the only one who's worried about Odango…_

I let a deep sigh out of my chest.

"Ne, minna, would you mind listening to me for a second?"

Eight sets of eyes locked on me while I began talking "We all know how the situation here is and we're all distressed about Usagi"

My voice cracked a bit in the sound of her name but I went on "Nevertheless, we have to remember who we are and what we've accomplished so far. This isn't the first time we've fallen into the enemy's hands, so we need to snap out of this! Our important people are in danger and the only choice we have is to save them!"

I stopped talking and looked at them fiercely, straightening my back as I tried to show my resolution.

"Still, I need your help more than ever, so get a hang of yourselves and let's get going!"

It sounded a bit more demanding than it was originally purposed, but they needed to be pushed into action.

_We're running out of time…_

"So what's your brilliant plan, Oh Great Leader?" Uranus said ironically, but deep down wanting to know how to get out of here as much as I did.

"As a matter of fact I don't have one"

She arched an eyebrow as the face of the others fell.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't have a plan **yet**! I thought we should all think about it together. I can't decide what you should all do, I can only say my opinion. The final decision must be made by all of us!"

I felt my comrades' support pouring into me, filling me with confidence and determination.

"Fighter is right, we need to work together to get through this!" Mercury commented.

The rest nodded in agreement and only Uranus –how surprising!- hmphed and shrugged.

"Ok, first things first, we need to get out of here. Then we need to find Odango, but the problem is we need to get to Kakyuu too. I don't know how this is gonna be done, but there's absolutely no way I'm leaving either of them unprotected" I voiced my earlier thoughts, hoping we could solve this problem together.

"Hmm, yes we can't face Hades right now and put up a decent fight. But we don't know where Usagi is, so it's gonna take some time looking for her, plus there's a big risk that we bump into the guards or even Hades…" Jupiter said in deep thought.

"Then how about we get out of here and then split up, so that some of us can search for Sailor Moon and the others go to Kakyuu-hime?" Healer suggested.

"Yes, that's it!". Mercury's face lit up as she said "Maker and Healer should go to Kakyuu-sama. They can teleport much faster than the rest of us and before leaving they can cause a diversion so it'll be easier for us to search Usagi-chan unnoticed!"

A grin bloomed in my face as I praised "Ami-chan, you're a genius!"

I began snickering as soon as her face turned into a dark shade of red, but was cut off by the all-too-familiar manly voice of Uranus.

"And exactly how are we getting out off here? 'Cause I remember last time we had a fair amount of trouble doing so!"

"If I remember correctly, I wasn't here with you last time. In fact, I was the one who untied you, right? Since I'm here, you don't need to worry" I replied in a cocky tone.

The wind Senshi glared at me and barked "Lose that attitude of yours, we don't have time to mess around! If you have something to say spit it or else shut the hell up!"

I stared at her, blinking dumbly and feeling both irritated and surprised. As much as I wanted to stick my tongue out and talk back to her, I knew she was right.

So I decided to say nothing and just give her a hostile glare, yet milder than usual.

I really didn't expect she'd snap out like that.

_Of course, you baka! Usagi is her princess and friend, she's worried about her,_ I reprimanded myself.

_At least she doesn't seem to be__ the heartless jerk I thought she was…_

I took a deep breath and said, completely ignoring my previous quarrel with Uranus, "I have an idea that might work, but we need to cooperate fully and we only have one chance to get it right. There's no room for mistakes and timing is of the essence, or else we're gonna be dead meat. Got that?"

I turned my eyes to each and every one of them, looking intensely to see if they paid attention to my words.

Everyone, even the annoying blonde, returned a very serious gaze.

Once I was sure they were listening carefully, I began talking "Ok, here's what we're going to do…"

_23 minutes and a lot of punches later:_

"Hurry up!" I whispered urgently to the others behind my back as we climbed up the staircase to enter the main hall.

We needed to walk fast yet quietly in order not to be caught.

_Don't let yourself become too conceited about it, but that was a good plan, leader_, I felt Healer's praising in my head.

_I'll have to agree with her on that one…_ Maker noted. _I still can't believe that stupid guards fell for it so easily, though!_

I grinned broadly, proud for my own cleverness.

_Arigatou,_ I said while sending them mental kisses.

I chuckled slightly as I could almost feel Maker rolling her eyes and exchanging fed up glances with my other comrade.

As we entered the main hall, we got serious and extremely careful. We walked halfway through it and stopped for a second to check the area and put the next phase of the plan into motion.

_We have no other choice but to succeed this time,_ I thought to myself as I dared to sneak a peek from behind the column we were hiding.

I sighed and turned to the other Sailors "There are two guards at the exit, but I don't know if there are more outside. Healer and Maker, you need to get out so as to be able to teleport. Think you can make it?" I asked, locking my eyes to theirs.

They both nodded, so I continued "It's best for you not to make too big of a fuss, but a little diversion would be a great help for the rest of us"

I could see a plot forming already inside the tall Starlight's head, her usual effective tactics ready to be set into motion.

But, even though I knew they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, I was worried about them.

I took a deep breath and told Mercury and Venus "I'd like you to go with them. They might need some help."

My green eyed comrade shot me a questioning glance as the aquanette asked "But what about you? Will you be alright?"

"Yes, it's gonna be fine!" I reassured her.

Venus was ready to argue with me but I cut her off by saying "Don't worry. You are gonna go secure Hime and come quickly back. Maker and Healer know what to do, so it won't take you long and you'll be able to come give us a hand".

The blonde pouted a bit but nodded.

"Now go!"

They immediately took off, running towards the guards and taking them down quickly.

That was the easy part, I had no idea what they would come across outside, but I had no time to think about it either.

"Let's go!" I said and we began to hastily ascend the huge staircase which led to the upper floors to where we assumed Odango was.

_Outside:_

I didn't really get why Fighter decided Venus and Mercury should go with us, but I had to admit they proved to be a great help.

The moment we stepped outside, a group of about five guards noticed us.

They began chasing us and, since we needed to prevent them from seeing there was only four of us, we took the offensive and attacked first.

"Star gentle Uterus" I called out.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody" the Water Senshi yelled.

"Imao Healer" I screamed, not bothering to look for the impact our attacks had.

Fighter got the diversion she needed and we got our chance to escape.

I grabbed Mercury's hand as Healer grabbed Venus', then the four of us vanished in a ray of light.

_Kinmoku palace:_

"Maker! Healer!" I heard our princess shout as soon as we appeared inside the throne room.

She run towards us, glomping us and sobbing loudly.

"I –I was so worried about you! Are you ok?" she asked between her sods. "Where are the others?"

"Hime, we don't have much time. We came just to secure you and then we are going to go back to Hades hideout" ,I said while I stroke her hair, trying to make her relax.

"Doshite?"

Her crimson eyes revealed confusion, worry and relief at the same time.

"Sailor Moon is kept as a hostage and Fighter with the others is trying to rescue her. We need to go help them!" Mercury answered before I could.

Kakyuu covered her mouth with her hands and began sobbing harder.

_Let me handle her. You go talk with the guards__,_ Healer urged me through her thought.

I sighed and left them to run to the Head Guard's office.

"Maker-sama!"

The tall and muscular man leapt up in surprise as I rushed in.

The tried to bow, but I prevented him.

This was not the time for formalities.

"Inform all of your guards that we have a red code. You know what to do. It is absolutely necessary that you won't let anyone in and near the princess. Even if the enemy has me or any other sailor as hostage, you need to protect Hime. Understand?"

"Roger" he said utterly confused but ready to follow my command.

After that I returned to the throne room.

"What the….!"

I froze in sock as I saw Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn standing next to the others.

"Here you are! Come on, we need to talk!" my silver-haired comrade said, leading me to her room.

Pluto was hot on our trail and I turned to face her the moment the door closed behind us.

"I don't have time to explain what we've been up to since now, because I have to tell you something really important." She told me before I could ask.

I was eager to hear what she had to say, so I urged her "Go on."

"I know how we can beat Hades."

_Hades Hideout:_

_Do__shiyo? How can I get out of this? Oh Fighter…_

Although I had agreed to do what Hades wanted, I knew I just did it as an excuse to see if my friends were ok, especially Fighter.

But, what is more, Hades told me something that made my blood freeze…

_Flashback:_

I could feel Hades' look on me and that made me shudder.

Not much time had passed since he told me – threatened, actually – that the only way to save my friends was to make Fighter give up Kakyuu-sama, but I still didn't have an answer.

He then decided to talk again, slowly but steadily losing his patience, "As far as I know you're the princess of your home planet and the future queen, right?"

My eyes popped out in shock and I gave a quick nod.

"H-Hai…" I dared to say.

His always-present and full of malice smirk appeared once again, making me shudder harder.

"Hmm… I hear it's a beautiful and wealthy planet. Interesting, don't you think? Maybe that should be the next planet I take over after this one…"

His words made my heart skip a bit and I gasped, giving him a terrified look.

He laughed and continued "But you wouldn't like that, would you? So how about taking my earlier offer? Don't you think I'm being awfully generous?"

_Hades to take over Earth… Yada! Never, I won't ever let him do that!_

My head spun around and I began feeling dizzy. I didn't want to do this, but he left me no choice…

"Ok…I'll do what you asked. But you will swear that you will never threaten my friends nor my planet again!" I said with a sigh of resignation.

"I swear. Now let's go to your friends" he said calling his guards and walking to the door.

_End Of Flashback_

So there I was, walking towards where my friends are to tell them to give it all up…

I knew they wouldn't, and I didn't want them either. But what choice did we have?

I didn't have a clue ,I simply thought I'd figure out what to do along the way…

I sighed heavily and shivered as I felt as a set of eyes as dark as the moonless night piercing through me.

I assumed we were really close to them, so I didn't really have much time to decide what I should do.

I leapt up in fear when Hades hand grabbed my shoulder, putting me to a halt.

He smirked evilly as he walked past me, leaving his two guards to my each side and said "Looks like someone is coming for you."

I took my eyes from his terrifying sight and locked them at the end of the corridor.

I heard heels taping at the floor and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw them.

I screamed her name with all my might and, if I wasn't held by the guards, I would have run right into her arms.

"Fighter!"


	17. The Ultimate Sacrifice

**Chapter 17: The Ultimate Sacrifice**

I took in Fighter's image, desperate to see how she was. She apparently did the same thing, because our eyes locked as if they were drawn by a magnet.

She looked awful, her fuku was stained by blood and sweat everywhere and her face was bearing the marks of a fight, with her red and swollen nose being the most noticeable. At least her deep blue eyes had the same warmth I knew, although somewhat replaced by a mix of concern, relief and fear.

Everyone else looked bad too, though. They didn't seem to be hurt, but they've definitely been better. Right behind them a large number of guards appeared, thus making a circle with us in the centre.

"Ts, ts, ts. You're not playing by the rules, ladies, and you are going to get me angry" Hades said.

If I hadn't known better, I would have said that his voice had a cheerful edge to it. The bad thing was that I knew he wasn't going to fool around much more.

"We're not playing games, you piece of trash! Let her go before I rip your head off!"

Fighter's voice echoed in the hall as she stepped forward, breaking apart from the others.

" 'Her'? Oh, you mean your blonde friend over here?" Hades said, dragging me next to him.

His hand was grabbing my arm so hard it made me squeal in pain. All of my friends glared at him, clenching their fists.

And Fighter…Well, if a glare could kill, I could say that Hades would have been a goner long ago.

With a smirk glued on his face, Hades went on "Sorry, but this little princess is staying right here with me for a while. We were just about to visit you when you interrupted us so rudely and came first."

Then, turning to me, he said "Tell them"

I averted my eyes from his glare and laid them on my friends. I looked at each and every one of them, wondering what I should do – for what seemed the fiftieth time. I noticed that there were only five of them, while Mercury, Venus, Pluto, Saturn and the other two Starlights were missing.

_Oh, kami-sama… Have they escaped or their absence means they're…dead?_

Tears were forming on my eyes, but my fears gave way to a more pressing matter.

The situation was like this:

First, my friends were here, trying to save me but with very little chance of succeeding without getting hurt or dead.

Second, I was held captive and had even less possibilities of getting out of here.

Third, our enemy had provided me with a way to get both myself and my friends safely out of this. All I had to do, according to him, was ask Fighter to give up – and that meant making Maker and Healer give up too.

I was sure Fighter would listen to me. After all, he swore to love and protect me always.

The question was, though, could I do this to her? Could I do this to the gentle and caring Kakyuu-hime and her Starlights?

A second later I knew the answer. No, absolutely not!

I turned to face Hades once again and yelled on the top of my lungs "I am not going to tell them anything! If you want the throne so badly, try and get it! But know that I'll be your enemy!"

He obviously didn't expect that, because for a fragment of second he was left speechless.

But then it passed, his already scary face became even more frightening and he let my arm go, only to grab my hair next. He pulled it hard, then pushed me down to my knees, making me scream.

_That hurt A LOT!_

"You'll be my enemy, huh? You prefer death, little brat? I have no use for you anymore, so I'll kill you here, in front of your pesky friends!" he screeched.

_I guess that's it for his patience, _I thought in the midst of my pain.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Uranus' and Neptune's attacks where skillfully sent towards Hades, with full force.

I watched horrified as he dodged them as if they were nothing and yelled to the guards, as he stepped back still holding to my hair, "Kill them all!" They immediately obeyed, attacking my friends from all sides.

I couldn't see much else as they were surrounded and Hades pulled me closer to him, whispering with malice into my ear, "As for you, you will have the honor to be killed by me. Say goodbye to this life, Sailor Moon!"

"Star Serious Laser!"

The force of this attack was overwhelming.

I know Fighter didn't mean to hit me as well and I honestly don't know where she found that power, but it resulted in Hades letting go of me.

I felt Fighters arms around me, helping me up and shoving me behind her, while she put herself as a shield for me and some distance between Hades and us.

"Bastard, you won't lay another finger on her!" she seethed.

I forbid myself to relax yet, as we were still in a very critical situation and probably about to get killed. Not that I really cared. I was finally with her, and I knew Fighter would protect me.

Although Hades was clearly taken by surprise, he didn't seem too badly wounded by the attack.

On the opposite, he looked perfectly fine, only really pissed off.

Really, really pissed off…

He walked towards us, accumulating power at the same time and preparing to strike. By the looks of it, he was planning on killing us with a single attack. I was soaked in cold sweat, holding tightly onto Fighter.

I looked around for a last time, to my friends. They were fighting hard, but they were outnumbered.

_At least I won't have to see them die, since I'll be the one to go first… I love you, Fighter, _I thought as Hades released his attack.

* * *

I didn't dare look at Odango, lest I'd lose my focus on dodging Hades' attack and I just made do with holding her hand.

I gathered all my power, ready to take on the blow , when I felt the unexpected presence of my comrades…and some others with them.

I looked around me confused, when I saw Hades as well as all of his men were standing still, frozen.

_What the hell is going on?_

_Hmm…so, leader you don't get what's going on, do you? _I heard Healer teasing me in my head.

I saw her appearing in front of me in a ray of green light, followed by Maker, Venus, Mercury and , to my surprise, Pluto and Saturn too.

Pluto was the last one to appear, with her Garnet Rod in the air and sweat streaming down her forehead, signs of her strain to keep up an attack.

_No way…! She stopped time!_

"Yes she did", Maker confirmed my thoughts, "well, it stopped for everyone but us, actually"

I looked at Odango next to me.

She was also not moving, having a frightened and sad look on her beautiful face.

_That's so weird…_

I looked at everyone else. They had all stopped moving, in the middle of attacking or defending themselves. If it wasn't so surrealistic, it would have been funny to watch them stand there like that.

"Hurry up, I won't be able to hold it for much longer!" Pluto hissed, looking paler and more tired by the minute.

"Oh, right! Gomen! Ok, listen Fighter" Maker began explaining, putting me out of my daze "when Pluto lets time flow again, Saturn is going to attack Hades immediately. The blow itself isn't able to finish him aff, although it is going to injure him significantly. Since the attack will cost her life, naturally she won't be able to help us more"

I turned to look at the Sailor of destruction. So young, yet she decided to die. I didn't want to let her do this, but was there any other choice?

Before I could say anything though, Pluto told us "I won't be able to help either. As soon as I stop using my power, I will die as well"

"Nani? Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" Healer said in shock.

"Because you might decide not to follow this plan! You would try to find something else and there isn't anything we can do! Am I wrong?"

"Demo, Setsuna-san…" Mercury said with a cracked voice and began sobbing.

Venus was on the verge of protesting too, but Saturn shot her a warning look.

"So, that's where we come in…" Healer told me with a sigh. "Right after Saturn, we will launch our ultimate attack"

She and Maker looked at me meaningfully. I gasped and stared at the wide-eyed.

My lilac-eyed comrade gave me a wry smile.

_We weren't able to avoid this after all, were we?_, she said in my head.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

Healer shrugged and then said in a supposedly nonchalant tone "It's ok, since I'm with you and I know Hime is safe…"

"Hai…it's ok…" I whispered.

I looked tenderly at my best friends and comrades, then to the two crying Sailors, Venus and Mercury, and all the other important people to me in the room.

Lastly, I dared looking at Odango.

My heart felt like breaking and tears slid down my cheeks.

"Let it go, Pluto. Thank you for helping us…" I released the panting Senshi of her grueling task.

On the spot, everyone came back to life, as if nothing happened, and continued to fight. Only us six noticed it that Sailor Pluto vanished immediately after.

"Silence Glaive Surprise!" I heard Saturn yell as I pushed Odango to the side, avoiding Hades' attack.

She looked around her, utterly confused.

"What's going on? When did Hotaru-chan, Ami-chan, Mina-chan come? Why isn't Setsuna-san here too? Are we dead?" She blurted her questions out so fast that, even if I wanted to, I couldn't answer.

"Mercury and Venus will explain everything later" I told her and led her behind a column that seemed quiet. "Stay here until everything's over, ok? Remember, I will always love you!"

I leant and gave her a quick but full of love kiss, leaving her no time to react. Then I went to where Hades and my comrades were.

As I got next to them, I saw Hades stumbling from Saturn's attack. He didn't fall, though, so it seemed it was our turn.

_Damn, that Hades! Why can't he die already?_

Shooting a quick look at my comrades, I said "See you on the other side, guys…"

"I bet Healer is going to be the first one to get there" Maker joked half-heartedly.

"In your dreams, beanstalk" Healer replied.

I took a deep breath and shouted "Starlight Fighter Star, Burn!"

"Starlight Maker Star, Burn!"

"Starlight Healer Star, Burn!"

For a second I sensed nothing different, but then…

_I-I can feel it…The power of my burning star…_

I linked my power to the one of my comrades'. Then, with a sudden burst, we led out combined attacks towards Hades.

I felt the light of our life leaving us and hitting Hades.

That was it, our ultimate sacrifice…

And Odango calling me out was my last goodbye…

N/A: Life is hard towards me lately, so you shouldn't be! Review, onegai! I hope you liked this chapter! I'll do my best to update soon(er)!


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